Ahead of the India vs Pakistan clash, former Indian cricketer Sanjay Bangar has pointed out a few strategic tweaks.
India secured a commanding 93-run victory over Namibia in their T20 World Cup 2026 Group A match at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, marking their second consecutive win and the largest margin of victory (by runs) in their T20 World Cup history.
JioStar expert and former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar shared his insights on JioStar's 'Follow the Blues', discussing Indian batters' approach against spin, potential playing XI changes for the Pakistan match, and strategic use of Jasprit Bumrah in the upcoming high-stakes encounter at R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.
Sanjay Bangar on Strengthening Spin Attack Against Pakistan
Speaking on JioStar's 'Follow the Blues', JioStar expert Sanjay Bangar explained
possible changes in India's playing eleven against Pakistan.
"I do think that India will beef up their spin attack because when they played Pakistan in the 50-over Champions Trophy, they used four spinners. Going by that, India clearly feel that the Pakistani batsmen can have trouble facing spin. So, I would certainly back the inclusion of Kuldeep Yadav in place of one of the seamers, and that seamer will have to be Arshdeep Singh," Bangar said.
Addressing Spin Challenges for Indian Batters, Bangar says playing spin has become an issue for the batters.
"Yes, in the first two matches of this World Cup, India have lost wickets to spin in the middle overs. But I think that could also be because they were batting first and were expected to score in excess of 200-220 runs. However, in the game against Pakistan, I believe they will assess the conditions much better," he added.
Jasprit Bumrah's Role
Bangar also emphasizes that Suryakumar Yadav must use Bumrah up front against Pakistan as him taking a couple of early wickets will put the rivals in the back foot.
"Wherever you utilise Jasprit Bumrah, he is obviously going to add value. But I feel that he could be used right at the start to try and get early wickets and make early inroads into the opposition. Wickets in the Powerplay count for a lot, especially against stronger opponents like Pakistan. So, I am expecting Bumrah to open the bowling against Pakistan," he concluded.
