Colombo, Feb 17: Pakistan spinner Usman Tariq addressed the media Tuesday, reflecting on his team’s crushing 61-run defeat to India in the T20 World Cup 2026 at R Premadasa Stadium, where the Men in Green crumbled chasing 176, assuring fans of a fiercer comeback in future battles as net run rate pressures mount.
Tariq, dismissed for a golden duck by Hardik Pandya’s incisive first-over strike amid Pakistan’s top-order implosion to 34/4, had earlier claimed Suryakumar Yadav’s key wicket in a frugal 4-0-24 spell on a gripping slow turner, yet couldn’t stem Ishan Kishan’s explosive 77 off 40 balls that propelled India to 175/7 despite Saim Ayub’s 3/25.
The 30-year-old mystery spinner, pre-match billed as Pakistan’s spin spearhead against India’s batting might, acknowledged national heartbreak post the collapse—triggered by Jasprit Bumrah’s double blow, Axar Patel’s brace, and clinical contributions from Varun Chakaravarthy and Pandya—stating, “We feel the nation’s disappointment, but next time we’ll put up a better show.”
India’s eighth T20WC win in nine tries over Pakistan (14/17 overall) catapults Suryakumar Yadav’s men into Super Eights atop Group A with six points, while sixth-ranked Pakistan, rocked by Usman Khan’s defiant 27-ball resistance, now face Namibia in a do-or-die clash to salvage semifinal hopes amid NRR woes and internal scrutiny over spin-heavy tactics that leaked 86 in death overs to Dube-Rinku finishers.
