Captain Salman Agha says Pakistan fell short on execution vs India

Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha said lapses in execution and a poor start with the bat proved costly as Pakistan suffered a heavy defeat to India in their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 group match in Colombo.

Agha said Pakistan opted for a spin-heavy strategy after winning the toss, but acknowledged that the plan did not translate into impact on the day. He pointed to missed execution in key phases and said the bowling unit did not respond as required to the match situation.

In the chase, Agha highlighted the early collapse as the defining moment, saying losing multiple wickets in the powerplay left Pakistan playing catch-up throughout. He added that while conditions appeared to ease later, Pakistan failed to apply themselves with the bat.

Agha urged the side to manage emotions better in high-pressure matches and stressed that Pakistan must regroup quickly for their remaining group fixture, describing qualification as the immediate priority.

White-ball head coach Mike Hesson also conceded India outperformed Pakistan, saying the dressing room was disappointed and crediting India’s key batter for taking the game away from Pakistan.