India vs Pakistan: 'Psychological Victory' For Pakistan Ahead Of India Game? Ex-Skipper's Huge Claim

Former Pakistan cricket team skipper Mohammad Hafeez made a bizarre claim that the chatter around spinner Usman Tariq can be considered a 'psychological win' for Salman Ali Agha and Co ahead of the T20 World Cup match against India. Tariq's unorthodox bowling style has resulted in massive controversy with some fans evening accusing him of 'chucking'. However, ahead of the India-Pakistan match in Colombo on Sunday, Hafeez alleged that Tariq's performances in the past few games has created 'panic' in the Indian camp and added that it can turn out to be an advantage for Pakistan.

"If we go inside the cricketing aspect, the hype created around Usman Tariq is another psychological victory for us. Right now, no one is talking about Babar Azam or any other player. People are talking only about Usman Tariq. He has played just one or two games for Pakistan, but just imagine the amount of panic he has created in the Indian camp. They are specifically practicing against him in their sessions."

"How many times have you seen so much discussion about just one player? The entire media, the hype, the world — they are not only thinking about the match result, but about what Usman Tariq will do tomorrow," Hafeez was quoted as saying by India Today.

Meanwhile, Harbhajan Singh defended the young Indian cricketer Abhishek Sharma after former Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Amir called the Indian batter a "slogger" ahead of the much-awaited India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 match on Sunday.
 

Harbhajan said Abhishek is a "proper batter" and has cricketing shots that a lot of other batters don't.

Speaking on a Pakistani TV show, Pakistan's Mohammad Amir called Abhishek Sharma a slogger.

Speaking of Amir's comments, Harbhajan said that Abhishek Sharma is a quality, determined batsman with a full range of shots, unlike a "slogger" who blindly hits the ball. He emphasised that Abhishek consistently plays effective cricket.

"Abhishek Sharma is a quality player, and he is a player who is determined to win matches on his own. And not once, but he can do it again and again. I have played cricket, and I know that he is a proper batter who has all the shots; a lot of batsmen don't have all the shots. A slogger is someone who only sees the ball and slogs; if it connects, great, and if it doesn't, that's fine too. He is not like that. He hits the first ball. And as long as he is on the crease, he keeps hitting. So, he is a proper batsman," Harbhajan Singh told reporters on Saturday.

(With agency inputs)

Topics mentioned in this article

Mohammad Hafeez Usman Tariq Abhishek Sharma India Cricket Team Pakistan Cricket Team T20 World Cup 2026 Cricket