India cricketer levels chucking allegations against Usman Tariq before Pakistan clash

India's next game will be against Pakistan in the group stage of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, and their only concern has been the current spin bowling sensation Usman Tariq, who has a criticizable arm action but is worth the hype after his immense success with the ball.

India have made a victorious start to their campaign in the ICC T20 World Cup with their respective wins against the USA and the Namibian side. However, what has been a common factor in the two games is the exposed weakness of Indian batters against spinners.

Indian batter Ishan Kishan scored a blazing 61 runs and helped India through the powerplay. He gave them a splendid start, and later Hardik Pandya's half-century helped them stack on runs, overcoming a middle-overs collapse.

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Shreevats Goswami cites the difference between Gerhard Erasmus and Usman Tariq

After India's downfall against Gerhard Erasmus, several greats have compared the Namibian skipper with Pakistan's new spin bowling sensation, Usman Tariq. They have been claimed to have a similar bowling action, in a roundabout fashion.

With people making the comparison, Shreevats Goswami, the former Indian wicket-keeper batter, has opined that there's nothing in common between his action and the Pakistan spinner, except for the fact that they look alike.

He has drawn angles and has shown that the trajectory of Usman Tariq's release point is very different from Gerhard Erasmus'. He has once again highlighted that Tariq, moreover, takes a brief pause before he delivers; however, that's not the case for the Namibian skipper.

Goswami had earlier cited the football penalties rule and claimed that such pauses in a run-up should not be allowed as per cricket rules as well. The Pakistan spinner has, however, been cleared of any allegations of chucking by the authorities.

See some people comparing Gerard Erasmus’s action to Usman Tariq’s.
One without PAUSE & one With PAUSE
All I want to say is :-
May good sense prevail. #WorldCup2026 pic.twitter.com/jER2gU3QMQ

— Shreevats goswami (@shreevats1) February 12, 2026

Indian batters struggled against Erasmus' spin

Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma looked in fine touch when they took command of the Indian innings and did not feel threatened by any of their spinners, until the skipper came in to bowl. Gerhard Erasmus was not only at his wicket-keeping best but also delivered an economical spell.

Erasmus picked four wickets in his spell, which included the massive wickets of the set opener Ishan Kishan, spectacular batter Tilak Varma, veteran all-rounder Hardik Pandya and lastly Axar Patel.

While Erasmus delivered several variations, he also delivered the balls in three different ways. He had stock deliveries and had a stunning wide-arm release, which often tended to keep the ball low and resulted in an overspin.

Indian batters have cited the Erasmus spell as preparation against the Pakistan spinner

India needed something to prepare for the major Pakistani challenge, and especially their mystery spinner Usman Tariq. Tariq, too, has a wide-arm release point and generates extra pace on the ball with his action.

Several Indian batters have faced Erasmus with some sheer dominance, as they cited that he could be the best preparation for Pakistan's Tariq. Ishan Kishan said that the preparation part is done, and now they will just be watching a few more videos.

India have been exposed against spinners, as they have lost a total of 8 wickets early into the ICC T20 World Cup. Pakistan, other than Tariq, has four other spinners in the form of Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed and Saim Ayub.

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