Former Indian wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik was brutal in his assessment of talented Pakistan opener Saim Ayub, who fell to ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah in his second delivery in the T20 World Cup 2026 clash in Colombo on February 15. Chasing 176 for victory, the Men in Green lost their in-form opener, Sahibzada Farhan, in the first over for a duck.
Much depended on his opening partner, Ayub, who scored a maximum off the edge in his first ball against Bumrah. Yet, the wily seamer trapped the Pakistan left-hander plumb in front in the next delivery.
Talking about the dismissal after the game, Karthik told Cricbuzz (11:55):
“I don’t think Saim Ayub stood a chance against Bumrah with that technique. Bumrah is too good for a batter who relies on two shots, the pick up and the square drive. The fact that he took the DRS says he was unaware as to what had happened.”
Discarded Indian batter Ajinkya Rahane believes the game was done and dusted after the powerplay of Pakistan’s batting.
“Pakistan were not in the contest at all after the first six overs in their batting innings. 175 on that wicket was enough for the Pakistan team. Overall, India dominated them completely. There was no presence of mind from the Pakistani batters as well. To lose three wickets and still Babar playing that shot was disappointing,” he said.
Another one-sided contest between the teams ensued once Pakistan lost four wickets in the first six overs, resulting in India eventually completing a 61-run victory.
“This game was a great example for why India are so dominant in T20Is” – Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik believes the latest instalment of the India-Pakistan rivalry was an example of how dominant the Indian side is in the shortest format. The win was India’s 23rd in their last 27 completed T20Is since the start of last year.
“This game was a great example for why India are so dominant in T20Is. 38 overs transpired in this game, and India dominated 37 except the first over. Pakistan didn’t have any answers, and they still had two overs and an over of Bumrah and Varun left. Towards the end, they almost were a bit cocky, the way Varun stopped and tried to bowl like Usman Tariq,” said Karthik (via the aforementioned source).
He added:
“Pakistan will look at themselves and think about what they can do to beat India, who seem to be extraordinary. This match hinged on Sahibzada Farhan. The moment he got out, I just didn’t believe anybody in Pakistan had it in them to dominate spin and get them to a victory. India are head and shoulders above Pakistan right now. Pakistan’s batting was exposed.”
India have now beaten Pakistan in eight out of their nine T20 World Cup meetings and six consecutive times in T20Is.
Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran
