Former Pakistan cricketer Waqar Younis has blamed captain Salman Ali Agha for the team’s loss in the IND vs PAK tie in Colombo. The Men in Blue sealed their spot in the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup 2026 with an emphatic 61-run win against Pakistan. Younis claimed that Pakistan did not use their spinners as well as India did, adding that the side lost the game in the 1st innings.
Why did Pakistan lose to India in Colombo?
Speaking on JioHotstar, Younis noted that the IND vs PAK game was out of Pakistan’s reach once India had managed to set a target of 175 runs. He credited Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav for being smart on the field and rotating his bowlers as per the match situation and conditions. Younis said that Pakistan spinners did not manage to get as much as spin as the Indians did.
“Pakistan lost the game in the first innings. Once India reached 175, the game was out of Pakistan’s reach. The ball was spinning, and Suryakumar Yadav was smart with his bowling changes. He gave the new ball to Hardik Pandya up front. Jasprit Bumrah was outstanding as always, attacking the stumps, swinging and seaming the ball. It was very difficult for Pakistan after that. When you look at how much spin Pakistani bowlers got, I don’t think they used them as well as India did,” Younis said.
Pakistan also made the tactical blunder of not introducing their trump card – Usman Tariq – early on in the innings. The spinner eventually finished with figures of 1/24 from his four overs, with the Indian batters rendering him ineffective.
“Salman Ali Agha allowed that to happen by not introducing Usman Tariq early. Tariq was superb, taking a wicket and conceding just 24 runs. We have been talking about him for weeks. But he was held back for too long. By the time he got the ball, Ishan Kishan had already done the damage. That is where the match was lost. We always knew Pakistan’s batting is not great. But if India had scored 140 or 150 instead of 175, things might have been different,” Younis pointed out.
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