Sahibzada Farhan and Usman Tariq, the aces in Pakistan’s pack, plot a quiet but devastating India coup at the Premadasa

By Admin

14 Feb, 2026

The stage is set at the iconic R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. India versus Pakistan. A rivalry that transcends cricket. A contest where reputations are made and legacies are defined.

In Pakistan’s pack this time are two aces   one a known tormentor, the other a mysterious disruptor. Sahibzada Farhan and Usman Tariq could quietly script a devastating coup against India.

Farhan: The Known Devil India Can’t Ignore

Sahibzada Farhan may not yet be spoken of in the same breath as legends like Javed Miandad or Zaheer Abbas, nor global run-machines such as Matthew Hayden, Graham Gooch, or Mitchell Santner, who have feasted on Indian bowling.

But sample size doesn’t always define impact.

Farhan has faced India just three times   all at the T20 Asia Cup in Dubai last September   yet he has already stacked up scores of 40, 58 and 57. That’s 155 runs at an average of 51.66. More impressively, 63.2% of those runs came in boundaries   11 fours and nine sixes.

And then there’s the bigger story.

Taking On the Best: Farhan vs Bumrah

Very few batters have managed to put sustained pressure on Jasprit Bumrah in T20 cricket. Farhan didn’t just pressure him   he attacked him.

Across eight Power Play overs in that Asia Cup, Farhan smashed Bumrah for six fours and three sixes. He became the first batter in T20 history   domestic or international   to hit Bumrah for three sixes in a single match phase. Against a bowler boasting an economy of 6.52 in 88 T20Is and 6.92 across 263 representative T20 games, Farhan scored at more than 150 per 100 balls faced.

His method was deceptively simple:

• No unnecessary frills
  
  

• Minimal cross-batted strokes
  
  

• Clean, straight driving
  
  

• Creating room and freeing the left leg
  
  

• Playing through or over the straight field
  
  

It often looked reckless. It was anything but. There was method in the madness   calculated aggression rooted in self-awareness.

So impressed was head coach Mike Hesson that after brief experiments at No. 5 and No. 7 in Christchurch two years ago, he permanently elevated Farhan to open the innings. All nine of Farhan’s international half-centuries have come at the top.

And anyone who appears to have decoded Bumrah must be taken very seriously.

A Spin-Skewed Battle at the Premadasa

India held Bumrah back after the Power Play against Namibia, but the dynamic could change at Premadasa, a venue almost certain to tilt toward spin.

That’s where Pakistan’s second ace steps in.

Usman Tariq: The Unknown Mystery

If Farhan is the known devil, Usman Tariq is the unknown variable.

His story reads like a script from MS Dhoni: The Untold Story   quite literally. Working in logistics and procurement at an automobile factory in Dubai, Tariq found inspiration in the Mahendra Singh Dhoni biopic. He returned to Karachi chasing a dream that took nearly a decade to materialise.

Now, at 30, with just four international appearances, he stands on the brink of representing Pakistan in a World Cup clash against India.

And he has already made an impression:

• 11 wickets
  
  

• Strike rate: one wicket every eight deliveries
  
  

• Economy rate: 5.93
  
  

His bowling approach is unorthodox. A noticeable pause before release   some argue bordering on illegal   followed by a slinging action reminiscent of Lasith Malinga. There are shades, too, of unconventional operators like Kedar Jadhav, Riyan Parag, and Gerhard Erasmus.

Erasmus, notably, rattled India with four for 20 in New Delhi. Tariq would have watched every one of those 24 deliveries closely, plotting how to apply similar pressure in Colombo.

Pakistan’s Spin Arsenal

Tariq is one among five quality spinners in Pakistan’s ranks:

• Shadab Khan
  
  

• Abrar Ahmed
  
  

• Mohammad Nawaz
  
  

• Saim Ayub
  
  

With the T20 World Cup head-to-head heavily tilted 7-1 in India’s favour, Pakistan needs unpredictability. They need disruption. They need something India haven’t prepared for.

Tariq’s unique rhythm and variations might just provide that X-factor.

The Wrecking-Ball Duo

Pakistan’s XI already boasts the experience of Fakhar Zaman and the firepower of Shaheen Shah Afridi. But it may well be Farhan and Tariq   the unlikely pairing   who shape the narrative.

Farhan brings pedigree and recent form.
Tariq brings hunger, mystery and fearless ambition.

At the Premadasa, under lights, amid the deafening intensity of an India–Pakistan showdown, the warning signs are clear.

India have been forewarned.