Sahibzada Farhan vs Jasprit Bumrah, Surya’s hunt for first fifty:Key battles that could decide the fate of India vs Pakistan clash

With the India vs Pakistan clash scheduled to take place tomorrow, 15 February, the Men in Blue will be facing one of the best-performing squads in the T20 World Cup 2026. In a one-of-a-kind ICC tournament, where associate nations have made the full member nations, like England and Australia, sweat, Pakistan have dominated teams with the bat and ball. India registered three commanding victories by 7 wickets, 6 wickets, and 5 wickets respectively in the Asia Cup 2025 over Pakistan. However, Salman Ali Agha’s side has showcased an all-round show in the T20 World Cup so far. A stable top-order that is scoring runs consistently, followed by choking spells from spinners, the Pakistan team has capitalised on the spin-friendly conditions in Colombo. India are currently at the top of Group A and the match against Pakistan could well be decided by several key battles. From the current India squad, Kuldeep Yadav has been the trump card for the Men in Blue as he has 8 wickets in 3 innings against the arch rivals. Sahibzada Farhan has been a key figure for Pakistan, having scored 155 runs against India during the Asia Cup. Let’s take a look at a few key battles that could have an impact on the outcome of the marquee clash on Sunday. Sahibzada Farhan’s red-hot form against India Sahibzada Farhan has been a spirited batter who knows his strengths and capitalises on them within the powerplay. In the Asia Cup 2025, he had hit Jasprit Bumrah for 51 runs at a strike rate of 150, including six boundaries and is yet to be dismissed by the pacer. In first-class cricket, he averages 44.82 with 10 centuries. Before the fixture against India, Farhan made his intentions clear, “When you score runs, you’re very confident. I’m confident, too. Come Sunday, this could be a match-up that could well define the outcome.” Meanwhile, the bowlers who dismissed Farhan in the Asia Cup last year were Varun Chakaravarthy, Shivam Dube, and Kuldeep Yadav. So it’s evident that if Men in Blue bowl a ball with a slower pace or perfectly executed variations, they can halt the run spree of Sahibzada Farhan in the powerplay. Suryakumar Yadav in search of his first fifty So far against Pakistan, Suryakumar Yadav has not left an impact with the bat. He led India to the Asia Cup title, but his highest score against Pakistan is 47 in T20Is. With a strike rate of 113.13, he has hit 112 runs so far across 8 matches. So, the Indian captain needs more runs to leave an impact and stabilise the batting in the middle over in case the upper order collapses on 15 February. Kuldeep Yadav has picked 8 wickets against Pakistan Kuldeep Yadav has an excellent record against Pakistan in the T20I format, scalping 8 wickets in just three innings. In addition to it, he got those wickets on Dubai pitches that were a bit sticky for the bowlers. On a pitch like that in Colombo, he’ll get even more turn as a wrist spinner and might restrict the run pace in the middle overs or the end of powerplay. With an economy of 6.58, Kuldeep came up with a clutch performance against Pakistan in the Asia Cup final by taking 4 wickets, conceding just 30 runs in 4 overs. However, it remains to be seen whether India will bring Kuldeep into the playing XI, since he was left on the bench for the last two matches. Men in Blue must stay cautious of Pakistan’s spin-battery Considering the spin-friendly conditions in Colombo, Pakistan has utilised the pitch very well tactically with their spin arsenal. In the two matches that the team has played so far in the T20 World Cup 2026, the spin bowlers have scalped a whopping 13 wickets against the Netherlands and the USA, respectively. So, India must stay cautious and adapt to slow pitches, a problem that has resulted in top-order collapse and slow runs in the middle for India in the past two T20 World Cup games. Pakistan’s Trump Card- Usman Tariq Last but not least, the ‘chucking debate’ epicentre of this T20 World Cup, Usman Tariq, might prove to be a surprising factor for Indian batters. He played his debut T20 WC game against the USA and bagged three wickets, giving away just 27 runs in four overs. In an old video from 2025, the Pakistan bowler was seen explaining his action, saying that he has two elbows in his right arm. “I have a unique action because my body dimension is unique. My body frame is not like that of a common person. I do have two elbows in my arm,” he was seen saying in that old interview. In another video, posted by the ILT20 franchise Desert Vipers a month ago, Tariq was seen showing his ‘two elbows’ in his right arm. “These two corners make my hand really hard to stretch (straighten) fully. I can’t straighten my hand. It will remain bent, which creates confusion for spectators. I have given two tests in Pakistan labs and my action was cleared, ” he said in the video. Overall, the current Pakistani team is in much better form compared to the side India dismantled during the Asia Cup. But for the neutrals, it should be a cracking contest on Sunday.