“I thought Pakistan would not even reach the level of Ishan Kishan.”

Former India batsman Subramaniam Badrinath brutally trolled Pakistan’s batting line-up after their crushing loss to the Men in Blue in a 2026 T20 World Cup match in Colombo. Badrinath’s remarks came while praising Team India opener Ishan Kishan’s sensational 40-ball 77 on a difficult surface.

South smashed 10 boundaries and three maximums to push India to a healthy 175/7 in 20 overs. In response, Pakistan stumbled to an embarrassing score of 78/7 before being bowled out for 114, losing by 61 runs.

Talking about Ishan Kishan’s heroics after the match on his YouTube channel (2:30):

“For a player who was originally out of the team to be hit like that on a difficult pitch was unbelievable. He was two or three paces ahead of the rest of the batsmen. There was a time when I thought Pakistan wouldn’t even be able to match Ishan Kishan’s score. He was just a superior skill level.”

It was India’s third successive win to start the 2026 T20 World Cup, helping them qualify for the Super Eights. Meanwhile, Pakistan suffered their sixth consecutive T20I loss to India and will have to defeat Namibia in their final group stage match to advance to the next round.

“The captain was at the level of a schoolboy” – S Badrinath Ali Salman Ali Agha

Subramaniam Badrinath criticized Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha for captaining the team in the 2026 T20 World Cup match against India. Although the Colombo stadium offers plenty for the bowlers, the Men in Green struggled to control the flow of runs as India raced to their 100th over in just the 12th over.

“Salman Agha’s leadership was also terrible. Shadab Khan came to the ball when two left-handers were batting. They kept bowling fast when Kishan was bowling away. Usman Tariq did not come to bowl at all when India were bursting in the first 10 overs. The leadership was at schoolboy level,” Badrinath said (via the source cited above).

He concluded:

“It was like they assumed India couldn’t play spin and picked four players. India may not be good against spin in Test cricket. But they have shown they can play spin in T20s. Pakistan spinners have been overrated too. Usman Tariq stops and plays, but it’s all brainwashing.”

Salman Agha did not help his cause with the bat, as he fell to a four-wicket catch with a forgettable catch against Jasprit Bumrah.