Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan shared his views on Pakistan’s team setup ahead of the India vs Pakistan match in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, identifying some weaknesses that India could take advantage of.
Pathan pointed out that while Pakistan has many all-rounders, they don’t have enough specialist batters, which could weaken their performance in the middle overs. He believes this could benefit India, especially if they can take early wickets. The key match is set for Sunday, February 15, at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Pathan noted that Pakistan’s batting in the middle overs is a concern and emphasized the importance of getting early wickets, particularly Babar Azam, to put pressure on the rest of the team. He thinks India’s bowlers can manage the game if utilized effectively, making it hard for Pakistan to build momentum.
“I don’t think they are that strong in the middle overs. If we manage to take a few early wickets, they have many all-rounders but very few pure batters, so this could work to India’s advantage. If India picks up a couple of early breakthroughs, then our spinners can target their main batters, especially Babar Azam, during the middle overs,” Pathan stated on his YouTube channel.
Pathan further discussed Pakistan’s batting structure, explaining that having depth doesn’t guarantee reliability. He reinforced that India could employ spin options to restrict Pakistan during the middle phase, especially on Sri Lankan pitches that are favorable for spin.
“They do not have the same quality in batters that would be ideal. If four or five of your players are pure batters while the rest are all-rounders, you may have depth but not the solidity you need. This is an area India can definitely target. If India uses three spinners, that gives them about 12 overs of spin to stifle Pakistan in the middle phase. Plus, they can utilize Abhishek Sharma and even Tilak as bowling options,” he added.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has had a strong start in the T20 World Cup, remaining unbeaten with a three-wicket win over the Netherlands and a solid 32-run victory against the USA.
Pathan also mentioned concerns regarding Pakistan’s bowling, particularly player Shaheen Afridi’s performance in the death overs. He noted that Afridi has taken wickets at an average of 35.00, with a strike rate of 21.00 and an economy of 10.00 in the first two matches, suggesting that India’s batters could exploit these issues.
“From what we have seen of Shaheen’s bowling, his yorkers aren’t hitting the mark, and the sharp inswing we used to notice isn’t as effective now. His shoulder is opening up more, which can be taken advantage of by the Indian team. Of course, conditions in Sri Lanka do help bowlers, so that could play a role,” he concluded.
