Pakistan struck early through captain Salman Ali Agha, dismissing Abhishek Sharma for a first-ball duck in the opening over after opting to bowl in their
T20 World Cup 2026 Group A clash against India at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday.
The decision to begin with spin on a tacky surface proved immediately effective, as Agha removed the returning Indian opener off the final delivery of the first over, leaving India at 1/1.
Having assessed the pitch conditions at the toss, Agha made his intent clear. "It looks a bit tacky, so we feel it will assist the bowlers for the first few overs, so we want to use that," he said. The move to open with spin, rather than pace, targeted India's aggressive left-hander before he could settle.
Abhishek, who replaced Sanju Samson in one of India's two changes, had only just returned to the XI after missing the Namibia game due to illness. His recent T20I returns underline his high-risk, high-reward approach: 0(1), 68*(20), 0(1), 30(16), 0(1), 0(4). Sunday's dismissal continued that volatile trend.
The early breakthrough handed Pakistan immediate momentum in a high-pressure encounter, especially given Abhishek's reputation as one of India's most destructive powerplay batters.
However, Ishan Kishan responded quickly, counter-attacking with boundaries to steady the innings after the early setback.
Pakistan's strategy was clear: exploit early grip, disrupt India's intent, and apply scoreboard pressure from the outset. The first over delivered exactly that.
