Pakistan's Usman Tariq 'Pays Respect' To Suryakumar Yadav, Send Off To India Skipper Goes Viral
Pakistan spinner Usma Tariq's send-off to India skipper Suyakumar Yadav became a topic of chatter on social media.
In a tournament already overflowing with drama, the T20 World Cup 2026 clash at the R. Premadasa Stadium delivered a moment of pure theatre that will be replayed for years. The much-anticipated confrontation between India's captain, Suryakumar Yadav, and Pakistan's 'stop-start' spinner, Usman Tariq, lived up to its "out-of-syllabus" billing, ending in a dismissal that shifted the momentum in the match while also setting the social media ablaze. The build-up to this particular wicket was rooted in the nets, where Suryakumar had been spotted emulating Tariq's peculiar, stuttering delivery stride to help his teammates prepare.
He had joked in the press conference that Tariq was an "out of syllabus" question that the team had to find a way to answer. However, under the floodlights of Colombo, it was the bowler who held his nerve in the face of the world's most inventive T20 batter.
Seeking to accelerate the scoring in the 19th over, Suryakumar moved across his stumps with the intention of slogging Tariq over the mid-wicket boundary. It was a trademark move from the India skipper, designed to use the bowler's pace against him. Yet, the connection was mistimed, and the ball flew high but not far enough. The massive square boundaries at the RPS, which had already proved difficult for several batters throughout the evening, ensured the ball stayed within the field of play.
Surya kumar practiced a lot to face usman tariq but he practiced the wrong person #INDvPAK pic.twitter.com/YnSMX7T5sc
— jamee (@i_am_jamalnasar) February 15, 2026
Beneath the ball stood Pakistan's Saim Ayub who showed great composure to take the catch, despite seemingly missing it initially. The dismissal of the Indian skipper for 32 was the breakthrough Pakistan desperately needed.
What followed was perhaps the most epic moment of the match. Usman Tariq, having outfoxed the man who had spent the week deconstructing his action, gave Suryakumar a fiery, emotional send-off. In a way, it looked as if Tariq even 'payed respect' to Suryakumar the cricketer.
The celebration was a clear statement of intent from the spinner, who has been making headlines since the fixture came back on the table.
Pakistan Cricket Team
India Cricket Team