“I am not completely satisfied” – Parthiv Patel reveals India’s changes ahead of Pakistan clash

Former Indian keeper-batter Parthiv Patel has opened up on India’s spin resources and who should make it to the playing XI in the game against Pakistan on Sunday, February 15, in Colombo.

Speaking on Star Sports' Amul Cricket Live, JioStar expert Parthiv Patel was delighted to have Washington Sundar back in the set-up. However, he feels that Sundar hasn’t played a T20I for a long time, which could be a major concern ahead of the marquee clash.

"It is good news that Washington Sundar is back. He is a tempting option against Pakistan. But my concern is that he has not played T20I cricket for a long time. He was injured, rushed to get fit for the World Cup, and then did not play the first two matches against the USA and Namibia. Suddenly, you want to play him against Pakistan,” Parthiv told Star Sports.

Furthermore, Parthiv reckoned that Kuldeep Yadav would be an exceptional choice to have in the playing XI as Pakistan batters have a history of failing to tackle Indian spinners properly. Moreover, Kuldeep scalped four wickets in the Asia Cup 2025 final.

“Yes, Pakistan have many left-handers like Saim Ayub, Mohammad Nawaz and Faheem Ashraf. So, India do have options. But I feel Kuldeep Yadav should play because he comes with a guarantee of wickets. Pakistan do not play spin well and Kuldeep knows how to dismiss the Pakistani batters. In the last Asia Cup final, he took four wickets. I would love to see a Kuldeep Yadav masterclass against Pakistan one more time,” he added.

Furthermore, Parthiv also opened up on India’s major areas of improvement after the clash against Namibia. Though India won by 93 runs, the former keeper felt that India should’ve batted in a better way in the death overs.

"India couldn't have won in a better way against Namibia, but how you play is in your hands, how the opposition plays is not. Look at the batting. There is still a lot to improve in the final two overs. Only 10 runs in 12 balls and five wickets lost in the 19th and 20th overs. That is not acceptable for India. It will be a concern going into the Pakistan match,” he stated.

“Bowling was very clinical. No mistakes there. But I am not completely satisfied with the batting. I know I am greedy. We batted well for the first 18 overs, but against a side like Namibia, we should have scored 250 runs easily. The batting mistakes like these cannot happen against Pakistan and stronger teams. They will make us pay. We don't want that,” he concluded.

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