With India openers Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan expected begin the attack from the word go, Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha came up with a strategy to counter the explosive opening duo in the ongoing IND vs PAK T20 World Cup 2026 today (February 15). Salman decided to open the bowling with spin and took the onus on himself.
Despite having Shaheen Afridi in the ranks who has proven success with the new ball in the powerplay, Pakistan decided against using him for the first over. Although spin is expected to play a big role in Colombo, starting with spin with the new ball came across as a bit of a surprise.
Nevertheless, the move worked as Salman succeded in removing Abhishek Sharma for a four-ball duck in the very first over of the high-octane contest. The field was also set in a fashion to invite batters to take on the attack. With a mid-on in place and the spin going against, Abhishek who prefers the leg side, had to hit it over the fielder to find a boundary or six. While he resisted himself for three deliveries, the dynamic left-hander decided to go for a big shot on the final delivery of the over with the pressure building. However, he couldn’t time the shot and lofted it straight to Shaheen Afridi.
For Abhishek, it was a second consecutive duck, and he is yet to score his first runs in the ICC event.
Salman Ali Agha continued with the spin plan after Shaheen Afridi bowled the second over and conceded a six and a couple of boundaries, leaking 15 runs off it. Salman returned in the third over, slowing his speed and going wider as other opener Ishan Kisan also struggled and had a few close shaves.
Saim Ayub continued Pakistan’s spin choke and bowled another tidy over in the powerplay, giving away just five runs as India managed to score 30 runs and looked toothless in the first four overs of the powerplay.
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While Pakistan had the early control, Ishan Kishan soon turned the tide in the final couple of overs in the powerplay to secure 22 runs as India finished with 52/1 after the first six. Ishan continued the momentum to bring up his second consecutive fifty of the tournament, finishing on 40-ball 77 after his 61 vs Namibia in the previous encounter.
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