The India-Pakistan 2026 T20 World Cup meeting at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo saw another tense moment with Pakistan pacer Usman Tariq dismissing Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav followed by a notable celebratory send-off.
Wicket of Suryakumar Yadav
The breakthrough came in the 18.5 over. Usman Tariq, after casting the last spell, paused before casting a more flattering spell. Suryakumar Yadav moved to try and hit a big shot through mid-wicket but mistimed it due to the slow delivery and big boundaries. The ball flew high towards mid-wicket where Saim Ayub caught the ball after a slight error.
Suryakumar Yadav was out on 32 off 29 balls with three boundaries to his name. Tariq’s overall spell looked to be 4-0-24-1, with an economy rate of 6.00.
Usman Tariq’s send-off moment caught attention
As Suryakumar Yadav returned to the pavilion, Usman Tariq bid him an energetic farewell, gesticulating vigorously. The gesture quickly became a talking point among fans and on social media, adding the usual drama to the rivalry.
This came after the pre-match preparation where Suryakumar practiced against such unorthodox moves in goal, even imitating Tariq’s signature pause to prepare his teammates.
Usman Tariq speaking after the first innings
Usman Tariq’s overall rating was 4-0-24-1 with an economy factor of 6.00. In his comments after the pitch, Tariq reflected on the experience.
“The mood is very good. Great experience of playing in Pakistan against India. My dream is to play this game. The pitch was quite slow and I have already been in the CPL and I have a lot of experience with slow pitches. I couldn’t take more wickets. At least I kept the (batter’s) momentum low. Now we are on the safe side. Of course, of course (can Pakistan chase it?). (Our) batters have great momentum. The intention they demonstrated (in previous games), you can see their mind is very clear.”