Tauseef questions Pakistan’s decision to bat first against India

KARACHI: Former Test cricketer Tauseef Ahmed said Pakistan’s defeat against arch-rivals India in the T20 Asia Cup 2025 turned into a one-sided affair because batting first after winning the toss was a wrong decision.

He added that Pakistan’s poor batting performance exposed weak planning by the team management. Speaking to The News on Monday, Tauseef said that the batting collapse was the main reason for the defeat.

Pakistan’s batting lineup, he noted, looked mentally disturbed and under pressure throughout the innings. The top order was back in the pavilion at just 49 for 4, while the rest of the batters also failed—except Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sahibzada Farhan, who resisted for some time.

“The poor state of Pakistan’s batting was badly exposed in this match,” he observed. Tauseef questioned why Pakistani batsmen tried to attack India’s dangerous left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who claimed 3 wickets for just 18 runs.

He said that if India had won the toss, they would not have chosen to bat first but preferred chasing instead. “Why Pakistan opted to bat first is surprising—only the team management can answer this,” he said.

He observed that Pakistan’s decision may have been influenced by Indian cricket experts’ pre-match comments, which claimed the Dubai pitch would not support batting in the second innings.

Tauseef also criticised Pakistan’s overall planning, saying victories against weaker teams like Bangladesh and the West Indies did not prepare them for a strong side like India.

He highlighted that every Indian batsman has a strike rate above 140 in T20 cricket, and in particular praised Abhishek Sharma, who has a strike rate of over 190 and scored 31 off just 13 balls in this match.

“Although Saim Ayub bowled well and took three wickets, Pakistan needed his aggressive batting, not just good bowling,” he added. Tauseef urged the Pakistan team management to review its game plan and adopt strategies that meet the true demands of T20 cricket.