India’s 61-run demolition of Pakistan in T20 World Cup 2026 lit up Premadasa Stadium, and Ravichandran Ashwin zeroed in on one key error: the toss. By electing to bowl first, Pakistan gifted India a platform to exploit a chasing-cursed pitch, according to the cricket pundit.
Ashwin unpacked it on his YouTube channel: ‘They drew lessons from Australia grinding out 170 vs Zimbabwe, figuring chases are risky. True in this World Cup – Premadasa makes late surges brutal, unlike IPL where 100 off 10 is routine.’ India capitalized ruthlessly, reaching 175/7 thanks to Ishan Kishan’s fireworks (77 off 40, 10 fours, 3 sixes) and Suryakumar Yadav’s steady 32.
Pakistan’s pursuit nosedived to 114 in 18 overs, with Usman Khan’s 44 the standout effort alongside Shaheen Afridi’s 23*. Ashwin was scathing: ‘India outclasses Pakistan in crunch moments by miles. Improvements under Agha and Hesson are evident, yet that hasty Afridi switch after Agha’s opener was downright poor captaincy.’
With Super 8 on the horizon, India fine-tunes against Netherlands in Ahmedabad next. Ashwin’s breakdown captures cricket’s nuances: a single toss call can unravel even the best-laid plans.