Pakistan survive Netherlands scare, but Ajinkya Rahane and Dinesh Karthik expose "Panic" problem

Pakistan’s tense three-wicket win over the Netherlands in their T20 World Cup 2026 opener has once again exposed their long-standing weakness under pressure, and this time, India’s Ajinkya Rahane and Dinesh Karthik did not hold back in their assessment.

Ajinkya Rahane and Dinesh Karthik tear into Pakistan after nervy win against the Netherlands

Chasing a modest target of 148, Pakistan was in complete control early on. They raced to 61 runs in the powerplay and were cruising at 98 for 2 after nine overs. At that stage, the match looked all but finished. But everything changed the moment Sahibzada Farhan’s wicket fell.

From 98/2, Pakistan suddenly slipped into chaos. In a shocking collapse, five wickets fell for just 16 runs, leaving them scrambling at 114/7. Rahane highlighted how this pattern has followed Pakistan for years, especially while chasing, where the loss of one or two wickets often leads to “panic.”

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Rahane says Pakistan can’t afford panic, mention India game

Ajinkya Rahane said on Cricbuzz: “We have always seen that about Pakistan; after one or two wickets, especially when chasing, they panic a lot. Yeah. So, we have seen that many times.”

He also said that it would be really interesting what call Pakistan would have made if the Netherlands would have beaten them, as they could not have afforded losing points by boycotting the India game if they wanted to progress further in the T20 World Cup 2026.

Mental slip-up vs Netherlands

Well, Rahane also stressed that this kind of collapse is worrying for Pakistan, particularly against a team like the Netherlands, who do not play cricket regularly. He felt Pakistan may have become overconfident after their strong start and then shifted into survival mode under pressure.

Rahane further noted, “Sometimes when you play teams like the Netherlands, you tend to get overconfident or complacent. They started off really well, but when they started losing wickets, it was always about the fear of losing the game. They are very emotional. They play really good cricket, but they panic a lot. Once they lose 1-2 wickets, they panic quickly.”

Very Pakistan thing: Dinesh Karthik

Meanwhile, Dinesh Karthik has described the collapse as a very typical Pakistan moment. The former wicketkeeper-batter pointed out that Pakistan tends to fly early, feel the game is under control, and then fall apart like a pack of cards once a wicket breaks the rhythm.

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The cricket pandit also pointed out that the pitch was not easy, with pacers bowling hard lengths and extracting movement, but that did not fully explain the panic. However, Karthik was elated that Pakistan managed to beat the Netherlands because they have not yet agreed to play India on February 15.

Dinesh Karthik said during the same discussion on Cricbuzz, “It's just a very Pakistan thing to do. Luckily, I think Fahim Ashraf has played an absolute blinder there. It's good that they got past the Netherlands because in case they had not, then it would have been a massive decision not to play India.”

'They are a very emotional'

The former Indian wicketkeeper also highlighted the emotional nature of the Pakistan side, saying emotion often fuels brilliant performances, but it can also trigger panic when things start to go wrong, and that’s exactly what happened against the Netherlands.

Karthik signed off by saying, “I feel they are a very emotional team. It's almost like they play with their heart on their sleeve. It helps them a lot of the times but also doesn't at times. But it shouldn't become overemotional.”