Former Indian fast bowler Irfan Pathan has issued a fresh warning to the defending champions Men in Blue ahead of the clash against Pakistan in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. India bowled out Namibia for 116 runs with 209 runs on the board in Delhi.
Gerhard Erasmus highlights India’s spin problem
It seemed like a perfect night, but it exposed a serious weakness. Namibian captain Gerhard Erasmus shook the Indian batting with his strange bowling action. Erasmus offered neither fast bowling nor mystery balls, but his side-arm style and high release point caused trouble.
The ball stayed a bit on the pitch and did not come onto the bat well, resulting in the departure of Ishan Kishan, Tilak Verma, Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel as Namibia’s captain. Erasmus took four wickets for just 20 runs in his four overs.
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Irfan Pathan gives big warning before clash with Pakistan in T20 World Cup 2026
That magic created concern in the Indian camp. After India’s 93-run win over Namibia on February 12, Irfan Pathan raised a serious red flag. He believes that India is still struggling against unusual spinners. Even Pathan reminded how Ajanta Mendis once stunned India by debuting on the world stage.
“If we look at the negatives, Abhishek Sharma’s absence is a matter of concern. Abhishek’s presence is important, but even when he returns, he will get less playing time. Secondly, India’s struggle against spin is worrying. Historically, India has struggled against unconventional spinners,” Irfan Pathan said in a video as quoted by Sportskeeda.
When Ajantha Mendis emerged for the first time, he troubled India and troubled even the best batsmen. Erasmus took four wickets in this match. He bowled with a high release point and his front arm. Erasmus was not bowling the carrom ball but was only using finger spin. He was out of the box and took four wickets.
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Pathan urged to immediately fix the spin before the clash with Pakistan
Questions have also been raised on Suryakumar Yadav’s dismissal. Indian batsmen often lose control when spinners attack at different angles and speeds. The former World Cup winner believes that this weakness on slow pitches could be dangerous for the defending champions.
The big concern is that India will now travel to Colombo for the match against Pakistan on February 15, where the pitches in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 are favoring spinners.
And Pathan urged the Indian team management to focus on this area as they head into the crucial stage of the tournament. He further said, “Suryakumar Yadav lost his wicket to the left-arm spinner and was struggling due to the ball turning a bit.
The spinners dismissed five batsmen and that means we need to focus on playing spin well. India had to struggle against the spinners of South Africa in the Test series. When it comes to catching the ball, he doesn’t play that well even in white-ball cricket. They should pay attention to that. There is little change in the proposal and India should focus on improving its skills.
Irfan Pathan lauds Sanju Samson’s courageous attitude and supports him as Abhishek Sharma fails to recover
Furthermore, Pathan praised Sanju Samson’s positive batting despite being out for 22 runs after facing only 8 balls against Namibia. He explained that when a player returns to the team after being dropped, he usually feels nervous and most batsmen try to play it safe.
But Samson did not play it safe and started hitting fours and sixes and Pathan said that this showed that he was confident and not scared. The cricket pundit also said that Samson has a clear mindset, hence, if Abhishek Sharma is still not fit, the Kerala star should continue as the opening batsman for India.
