India under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav on Sunday, February 15, in Colombo’s R. Will face Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2026 match at the Premadasa Stadium. The pitch is likely to play a major role, with the slow surface leading to a battle between the spinners and batsmen of both teams in the much-awaited clash.
Pakistan have four spin options, including Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Usman Tariq and Shadab Khan, while Saeem Ayub provides an additional spin option. In Pakistan’s last match against the United States, Tariq took three wickets, and Shadab took two wickets. Nawaz and Abrar also made an impact and took one wicket each.
Pakistan’s focus on spin before clash with India
Pakistan focused heavily on spin during their net session on Friday. All their spinners bowled long spells as part of their preparations. Abrar Ahmed and Shadab Khan bowled together to left-handed batsmen Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman.
Usman Tariq and Mohammad Nawaz bowled to Sahibzada Farhan, Usman Khan and Agha Salman. Later in the evening the spinners also bowled to Shaheen Shah Afridi. Saim Ayub also raised his hand after completing his batting practice.
Pakistan is expected to play with five spin options against India, which include Abrar, Tariq, Nawaz, Shadab and Ayub. Former Pakistan spinner Imad Wasim has warned that if India attack too aggressively, its spin-heavy attack could cause problems.
The main batsman against spin for India will be Shivam Dubey. His main role is to face the spinners in the middle overs and he has done this job well so far. The battle between Dubey and Pakistan’s spinners is expected to be one of the highlights of the match.
Shivam Dubey has been in tremendous form this year
Shivam Dubey is one of the best batsmen against spin in India’s T20I team. The left-handed batsman has been in tremendous form this year, with a clear ability to dominate his wrist spin and mystery bowlers during the middle overs.
During the T20I series against New Zealand last month, Dubey scored a half-century in 15 balls, which was the third fastest half-century by an Indian in T20Is. He has hit 13 sixes in just six innings in 2026 and has the ability to cross the 100-metre mark even on slow, turning surfaces.
The left-handed batsman has scored 779 runs in 57 T20Is at an average of 27.82 and a strike rate of 149.52, which included five half-centuries. In 2026, he has scored 140 runs in six innings at an average of 35.00 and an impressive strike rate of 218.75.
Shivam Dubey’s dominance against spin is increasing
Shivam Dubey has become a major threat against spin, making him a key batsman against Pakistan’s spin-heavy plans. In T20Is, he has scored 268 runs against spin in 27 innings at a strike rate of 155.8, hitting 23 sixes in just 172 balls.
In 2019, Shivam Dubey scored runs against slow bowlers at a strike rate of only 80.0. This began to change in 2024, when he scored 114 runs in 10 innings at an average of 38.0.
In 2026, Dubey has taken his game to another level. He is hitting against spin at an incredible rate of 286.4, the highest of his career, and has hit seven sixes off just 22 balls. His dot-ball percentage has dropped to just 9.1% this year.
| Shivam Dubey vs Spin in T20I | |||||||||
| Year | Inn | it goes | balls | Boycott | average | sr | 4s | 6s | point % |
| 2019 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 80 | 1 | 0 | 60 |
| 2020 | 4 | 17 | 15 | 2 | 8.5 | 113.3 | 1 | 1 | 40 |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 |
| 2024 | 10 | 114 | 79 | 3 | 38 | 144.3 | 1 | 10 | 35.4 |
| 2025 | 7 | 66 | 45 | 3 | 22 | 146.7 | 2 | 5 | 28.9 |
| 2026 | 3 | 63 | 22 | 1 | 63 | 286.4 | 2 | 7 | 9.1 |
| Total | 27 | 268 | 172 | 11 | 24.4 | 155.8 | 7 | 23 | 32.6 |
Also Read: India vs Pakistan Spin Battle: Varun Chakraborty or Usman Tariq, who is more dangerous?
