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ICC T20 World Cup 2026: India vs Pakistan | Match 27 | Group A | Colombo | February 15 | Pre-Match Discussion

YousafTheBeast said:
This might be the first time we see a changed XI in a icc event that isn’t injury related.

They’ve got to drop Shaheen for Naseem or Mirza.

Farhan
Ayub
Agha
Fakhar
Nafay (wk)
Shadab
Faheem
Nawaz
Naseem/Mirza
Abrar
Tariq
Click to expand...
There is a case for dropping Nawaz for Nafay or fakhar as well.

With so many lefties in India XI, Nawaz is unlikely to bowl a lot
 
YousafTheBeast said:
This might be the first time we see a changed XI in a icc event that isn’t injury related.

They’ve got to drop Shaheen for Naseem or Mirza.

Farhan
Ayub
Agha
Fakhar
Nafay (wk)
Shadab
Faheem
Nawaz
Naseem/Mirza
Abrar
Tariq
Click to expand...
They will never drop Babar. Only Sydney Sixers do
 
Only way Pakistan is winning this one is to chase. Don't see us defending especially with Shaheen being out of form.
 
Honestly thinking we can this time, Spin will deliver. Sahibzada needs to fire again. Babar should bat at 3 and Agha at 4.
 
Brace yourself boys. That’s my cope, for the likely outcome.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
heddie19 said:
Honestly thinking we can this time, Spin will deliver. Sahibzada needs to fire again. Babar should bat at 3 and Agha at 4.
Click to expand...
Bhai pak cricketers cannot handle high pressure games. Esp something of this magnitude. I have some trust in Agha, Saim and Abrar they will play with passion; rest might be starstruck seeing Indian players.

Dont forget Rauf how happy he was getting hit by Kohli.
 
rballer said:
Bhai pak cricketers cannot handle high pressure games. Esp something of this magnitude. I have some trust in Agha, Saim and Abrar they will play with passion; rest might be starstruck seeing Indian players.

Dont forget Rauf how happy he was getting hit by Kohli.
Click to expand...
Good news is there is no star of Kohli's stature in current indian T20 team. Their prince Gill is not there. I mean no offense but I don't think anyone would be star stuck to meet SKY, Kishan, Samson etc.

Also there shouldn't be huge pressure of this game, it is just a 2 pointer at the end of the day.
 
For the first time I feel Pakistan spin arsenal is better than Indians..not that they are bowling great, but we have seen in recent Times that Indian batting against spin has degraded and we lost many wickets to foreign spinners who bowled first time in India..so, more the spinners, more chance to trouble indian batters..Varun Chakravarthy looks little off colour, Kuldeep leaks runs before taking wickets, Axar okayish, and Washington not proven much in his bowling..So, it is going to be battle of spinners and won't be surprised if it is going to be low scoring match..
 
Major said:
Better team, beat us 3 nil in the same country. Pakistans middle order sucks, shaheen sucks
Click to expand...
Why was on “IA”, why would you wish that… even if Ishan Kishan the worst person to play for India I would still never wish to lose
 
I just want 2 changes.... Shaheen and Usman khan benched. Please

Salman Mirza and Nafay should get a game... Enough of these 2 individuals who are useless.. Usman and Shaheen need to go..
 
Seeing all these posts showing their preferred XIs takes me back… haven’t posted one in a while since Pak nosedived big time from around 2023 and then after the 2024 USA loss I stopped entirely.

Will tune in for traditional rivalry reasons and for the conclusion of Handshake Saga 🤝 but not really invested as much into player performances outside of Saim and Farhan special who I guess have now become the torch carrier from Fakhar and before whom was supposed to be Sharjeel… but alas..
 

Tangled in green: How Pakistan's spin cycle could trap India in the big rivals clash:​

T20 World Cup: Pakistan's spin attack has found its perfect stage in Colombo. With five wicket-takers and India's batters struggling on spicy tracks, the rivals might finally have a weapon that could do some damage.

Usman Tariq's run-up is a study in deception. He approaches the crease like Bruno Fernandes approaches a penalty—stop, stutter, wait. The batter commits. The ball doesn't. It hangs, dips, turns, and by the time the strokemaker realises what's happened, the stumps are rattled or the edge is found. Since March 24, 2025, against Faisalabad, Tariq hasn't gone a single match without taking a wicket. 23 consecutive games. 23 times he's made someone look foolish.

Two games into the T20 World Cup, Pakistan sit unbeaten atop Group A. They've survived the Netherlands with last-gasp heroics and dismantled the USA with clinical efficiency. Both wins came in Colombo, where the R Premadasa Stadium pitch had something to offer for the spinners.

THE CHAMP IS HERE
The defending champions arrive in Colombo on February 15 with history on their side—13 wins in 16 T20 meetings, including seven of eight at World Cups.
But for the first time in years, Pakistan might have found India's vulnerability: a pitch that grips and turns, spinners who know exactly how to exploit it, and an Indian batting order that looked fragile before Suryakumar Yadav's rescue act against the USA.
In T20 cricket, where one bad over can flip everything, Pakistan's five-man spin attack could finally tangle India in green.

THE WEB PAKISTAN SPUN
Tariq isn't alone. Pakistan's spin attack has quietly become one of the most lethal forces in T20 cricket since the 2024 World Cup final. Abrar Ahmed and Mohammad Nawaz have claimed 47 wickets a piece, in that span. Saim Ayub has 26. Add Shadab Khan, fresh off an all-round masterclass against the USA, and suddenly Pakistan can field five spinners who've been hunting wickets.

The numbers tell the story of Pakistan's resurgence. Since that 2024 final, they've won 29 of 49 matches—not far behind India's 32 wins in 42 games among full member nations.

They've learned from their Asia Cup mistakes, built depth, and found a formula that works in subcontinental conditions. In Colombo, where they've been training for two weeks while India were finishing their group stage elsewhere, that formula has found its perfect testing ground.

INDIA'S ACHILLES HEEL

"It's going to be a challenge going to Colombo, where Pakistan have been for the last two weeks," admitted Ryan ten Doeschate, India's assistant coach. The concession was small, almost grudging. But it was there.

India's opening match against the USA exposed cracks that Suryakumar's brilliance papered over. On a spicy Wankhede pitch, India's batters struggled badly before their talisman's unbeaten 84 rescued them to a 29-run win.

Man for man, India still looks stronger. But T20 cricket doesn't work on paper comparisons. It works on moments, on conditions, on who handles pressure when the ball starts doing things batters don't expect.

Pakistan's spinners have made careers out of creating those moments. On turning tracks, against strokemakers who want to dominate, they've become executioners. India's aggressive batting style—built on taking risks early and often—could walk straight into the trap.

THE MOMENTUM SHIFT
Confidence built on track record matters. India have earned their favourites tag through years of dominance over Pakistan. But momentum has a way of mattering more in tournaments, and right now, Pakistan have it. Two wins. A settled bowling attack. Home conditions. And perhaps most dangerously, belief.

The boycott controversy that threatened to derail their tournament will be behind them. Pakistan know they have a weapon that works, and they're facing an opponent that might not be ready for it.

When Tariq begins his stuttering run-up on February 15, when Abrar tosses the ball up and watches it grip, when Nawaz slides one past the outside edge, India will face a question they haven't had to answer in years: what happens when Pakistan actually have the advantage?

History says India finds a way. But in Colombo's spin-friendly cauldron, history might finally meet its match if the champions are not on top of their game.

www.indiatoday.in

Tangled in green: How Pakistan's spin cycle could trap India in the big rivals clash

T20 World Cup: Pakistan's spin attack has found its perfect stage in Colombo. With five wicket-takers and India's batters struggling on spicy tracks, the rivals might finally have a weapon that could do some damage.
www.indiatoday.in www.indiatoday.in
 
Abhishek is having stomach infection, Pakistan have an outside chance now.

Pakistan also has advantage of playing all their matches in Colombo.
 
chakdeindian said:
For the first time I feel Pakistan spin arsenal is better than Indians..not that they are bowling great, but we have seen in recent Times that Indian batting against spin has degraded and we lost many wickets to foreign spinners who bowled first time in India..so, more the spinners, more chance to trouble indian batters..Varun Chakravarthy looks little off colour, Kuldeep leaks runs before taking wickets, Axar okayish, and Washington not proven much in his bowling..So, it is going to be battle of spinners and won't be surprised if it is going to be low scoring match..
Click to expand...
We should play only two pacers: Bumrah and Hardik.
And go with three proper spinners: Varun, Axar, and Kuldeep.
Backup bowling options: Dube and Abhishek
Unfortunately, Arshdeep and Siraj would have to sit out.

But I highly doubt that the management will make these changes, and they might continue with the current pacers.
 
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