'Delivered as expected' - Irfan Pathan credits India's bowling tactics for win against West Indies

India chased down 196 on Sunday against the West Indies to seal a place in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2026. The Indians were guided to the target by Sanju Samson, who hit an unbeaten 97 and also smashed the winning runs. However, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has given equal credit to how the management used their bowlers, especially the four overs of Jasprit Bumrah.

Irfan did his thorough analysis on the game and disclosed that it was actually the way skipper Suryakumar Yadav utilised his bowlers that paved the way for India restricting the Shai Hope-led side to a relatively smaller total in the first innings. The cricketer-turned-commentator believes that the way Bumrah was brought into the attack once the in-form Shimron Hetmyer arrived at the crease eventually made the difference, as the hosts contained him for only 27.

“Suryakumar Yadav and the Indian team managed the game very well because using Bumrah is not an easy task. Ideally, you would want to give him the first over or the second over. But here, there were important match-ups to consider. Shimron Hetmyer is a powerful player and had already smashed 17 sixes before this game. The match-up against Bumrah was important because he had dismissed him five times before,” Irfan said in a video on his YouTube channel.

“So they were waiting for that moment and planning the bowling accordingly. When Bumrah bowled one over in the powerplay and was then brought back against Shimron Hetmyer, he did not disappoint. There will surely be discussion about some decisions, but he once again put Hetmyer under pressure and delivered as expected,” Irfan added.

The defending champions now have the challenge of facing England in the second semi-final of the tournament on Thursday, March 05, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. India's bowling unit will be the key to how they fare in the penultimate match of the twenty-team event.