“It was a terrible mistake” - Ravi Ashwin reveals why Pakistan lost to India

Ravi Ashwin reveals Pakistan's "terrible mistake" that led to their 61-run T20 World Cup 2026 defeat against India, pinpointing critical tactical error in middle overs that allowed Ishan Kishan to dominate while exposing batting frailties under Premadasa pressure following early breakthroughs.

By Jack 16 Feb 2026 in Cricket

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Former Indian spinner and analyst Ravi Ashwin has opened up on Pakistan’s major mistakes that led to their 61-run defeat to their arch-rivals India on Sunday, February 15, at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

Speaking exclusively on his YouTube channel, Ashwin stated that Pakistan’s decision to bowl first after winning the toss didn’t help their case, giving an example of Australia failing to create an impact in the chase against Zimbabwe in Colombo.

"Where did they win to lose the plot? Pakistan lost the game when they opted to bowl first after winning the toss because we saw the match between Australia and Zimbabwe. Australia struggled to get 170. When we see IPL matches, teams win easily if they need 100 runs off the last 10 overs. But it’s not happening in this World Cup,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

Furthermore, Ashwin asserted that Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha and head coach Mike Hesson are tactically good. However, he felt that Shaheen Afridi coming in to bowl the second over after scalping Abhishek Sharma for a four-ball duck was another blunder from their skipper.

“In Premadasa Stadium, you can’t chase 100 in ten overs. The way Pakistan deals with pressure, India are 100 times better in that aspect. I don’t think Pakistan are there. Honestly, Pakistan have become tactically better under Salman Agha and Mike Hesson. But the way they brought Shaheen Afridi after Agha’s first over was a terrible mistake,” he added.

Shifting our focus to the details of the game, Pakistan tasked India to bat first. Men In Blue posted a good-looking total of 175/7 on a tricky wicket. Ishan Kishan was the wrecker-in-chief with a 77-run knock off 40 balls. In response, Pakistan got bundled out for 114 runs in 18 overs. Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, and Varun Chakravarthy scalped two wickets each.

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