Usman Tariq, a controversial Pakistani spinner, will feature in the India vs. Pakistan match in Colombo on February 15 as an x-factor. Despite questions about his bowling action, he has been continuously playing for the national side, playing with effectiveness.

Like other teams Pakistan has faced in the recent past in the T20Is, Indian batters will have overcome the hurdle named Usman Tariq. As the bowler has the clearance from the International Cricket Council (ICC), Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha will try to utilize the bowler’s full 4-over quota.

Suryakumar Yadav mimics the bowling action of Usman Tariq

To be prepared for the spinner, Indian batters spent some extra time in the nets. Ahead of the match, a video, shared on the social media platform ‘X,’ captured how Abhishek Sharma is preparing to take on Tariq.

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In the nets, India captain Suryakumar Yadav was performing as the blower, copying the bowling action of Tariq, against Abhishek Sharma. From the video, it is clearly seen now that Yadav is bowling like the controversial Pakistani spinner. After a small run-up, Suryakumar paused a little bit and then released the ball.

In a recent video, former Indian international Ravichandran Ashwin put a focus on Tariq’s unusual bowling action. The former cricketer said that bowling actions can be different, but Usman Tariq’s case is different. Ashwin also said that if the batters felt that the bowler stopped for a while before delivering the ball, then the batter could make an appeal to the umpire.

CAPTAIN SURYA BOWLING LIKE USMAN TARIQ…!!!

– SKY giving important practice to Abhishek Sharma. 👌 pic.twitter.com/dZqGP26IT3

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) February 14, 2026

Yadav said how they prepared themselves to face the spinner

During the pre-match conference, the India captain, for obvious reasons, was asked about the spinner. The leader of the Men in Blue stated that sometimes a question can be on the question paper but not from the syllabus. But it is their duty to confront every challenge, as they can’t leave anything untouched.

“See, sometimes there is a question in the exam as well, which is out of syllabus. So, we can’t leave that question. To tackle that, you have to adopt your own way. Yes, he is a different character when he comes to bowl,” Yadav said in the press conference.

He also revealed that they have been preparing to face Usman Tariq. They are preparing with similar types of bowlers and similar actions to keep themselves ready to face him during the match.

“But at the same time, we can’t just surrender. We practice with similar types of bowlers and similar actions. We will try to execute what we are practicing in the next sessions,” he added.

Recent bowling stats of Tariq

In the last 5 matches, Usman Tariq captured a total of 14 wickets, which is proof of how effectively he has been bowling.

In those five matches, he got 5 wickets for the Pakistan cricket team—2 against Australia and 3 against the United States.

Read More: IND vs PAK Match 27 Preview: Free Live Streaming, Pitch & Weather Report, Head-to-Head, Playing XIs | ICC T20 World Cup 2026

TimesofIndia.com in Colombo: Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha showed visible frustration when the third question on Usman Tariq’s bowling action was asked in the pre-match press conference on Saturday, ahead of the match against India.Around a week ago, at the captain’s press conference in Colombo, Agha had said: “In the end, it comes down to the fact that he will hang a notice on his neck saying that I am clear, and he will tell the batter first that I am clear. Now, the matter has come to that.”

Tariq’s bowling action has been at the centre of debate even before the T20 World Cup kicked off.The 28-year-old had an extensive net session on Friday, bowling to almost every Pakistan batter for close to two hours.On Saturday, Agha was once again asked about Tariq’s action. He replied: “All players are equal in my eyes. You guys are the ones who are focused on Usman Tariq and have made him a big topic. Obviously, he has been bowling quite well for the past few months. He has played league cricket before representing Pakistan, where he also performed well. It can be said that he is a trump card for us.”When coaxed about whether the bowler was feeling the heat, Agha said, “I don’t think he cares about all that is being said about his action. People have been talking about his action ever since he started playing cricket.”The Pakistan captain is not wrong. Tariq’s journey to top-level cricket has not been a smooth one. He was twice reported for a suspect bowling action during the country’s premier domestic T20 tournament, the Pakistan Super League (PSL), over the last two seasons. On both occasions, he was cleared after testing at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore.“He jokes about it,” Usman’s cousin Haseeb ur Rehman told TimesofIndia.com earlier this month.“He says he does not care. He gives a sarcastic smile and says people do not know that he has cleared the ICC’s test twice. ‘Jitni nafrat faila rahe, main utna mashoor ho raha hoon’ (The more hatred they spread, the more famous I become).”The third question on Usman Tariq seemed to make Agha, usually a calm and composed man, lose his cool.He looked at Pakistan’s media manager, took a deep breath and said: “The guy has been cleared twice and has done everything the ICC asked him to do to bowl in international cricket. I don’t know why people are saying so many things about him, but one thing I can assure you is that he is very used to this. It has been with him since he started playing international cricket.”

Tariq’s exaggerated pause in his delivery stride has made people increasingly curious.Veteran India spinner R Ashwin floated an interesting idea on his YouTube show Ash Ki Baat.“There is one thing I want to see. Who dares to do that?” Ashwin said, adding, “If Tariq pauses before delivery, the batter has the right to move away. The batter can say, ‘I don’t know when the ball is coming, so I moved away.’”“That would be an interesting case and a huge headache for the umpire,” he added. “The umpire would have to decide whether to warn the bowler or the batter. Odds are, and that is how cricket has worked, the bowler will be warned first.”“Imagine this happening in such a big game,” Ashwin said. “Tariq has become the cynosure. He has to bowl 24 deliveries like that. If batters start withdrawing, imagine the pressure on him. He might have to alter his action in the middle of the game. Pakistan’s trump card could suddenly turn ineffective.”Meanwhile, former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, who played with Tariq at Quetta Gladiators in the PSL, told The Associated Press: “Batters are struggling to read Tariq because of the long pause when he steps on the bowling crease.“The pause disturbs their concentration and when he bowls a fastish delivery after that delay, or even a slower one, it leaves batters clueless.”What was once billed as a clash of arch-rivals has now been overshadowed by a singular subplot. As the February 15 fixture draws closer, the conversation has shifted decisively away from all the drama that has happened between the two countries in the past few months, settling instead on Usman Tariq’s prolonged pause and unconventional action, a detail that could end up defining the narrative of this marquee contest.

Mumbai: When 43-year-old Khajappa Nagore was acquitted in a high-stakes MCOCA case, he did not walk free. Instead, he spent an additional five years behind bars simply because he could not afford a Rs 50,000 bail bond. It was only through the relentless intervention of the Legal Aid Defense Counsel System (LADCS) — which fought for a bail reduction to Rs 25,000 and bridged the financial gap by coordinating with an NGO, that the gates finally opened for a man already proven not guilty.For decades, lawyers appointed through the Legal Services Authorities Act of 1995 were largely dismissed as a desperate last resort. It was defined by overworked panel lawyers and meager honorariums — sometimes a dismal Rs 900 for an entire case. However, a systemic revolution is now unfolding. A recent study by Prayas (TISS) reveals that the 2023 introduction of the LADCS is fundamentally reclaiming justice for the country’s 4 lakh under-trial prisoners. LADCS has handled almost 10,000 cases so far.A 66-year-old accused, in jail for almost a decade, recently secured bail from the Bombay High Court in a matter in which he was handed a ten-year sentence by the lower court. He recalled the stark difference in treatment. “I was told I didn’t even have to pay a rupee for the document copies. The lawyer stayed in touch with my wife and met me too in jail and ensured that I got bail.”Before this shift, legal aid relied on private “panel advocates” who often sidelined free cases for higher-paying clients or harassed the vulnerable for money. The LADCS has shattered this cycle by establishing a dedicated office of full-time professionals earning salaries between Rs 30,000 and over Rs one lakh, ensuring their absolute focus remains on criminal defense. Operating under a rigorous three-tier hierarchy of Chief, Deputy, and Assistant Counsels, the LADCS brings a structured approach to litigation.While undertrials were previously reluctant to accept legal aid, there is today an increasing demand for LADCS representation. Advocate Samyak Gimekar, Chief Legal Aid Defense Counsel in Mumbai, noted that the journey wasn’t easy. “Initially, undertrials refused to share even their chargesheets…when we used to visit jails, the biggest challenge was to explain that we are different from public prosecutors and we are to represent you. The accused were under the impression that since the lawyers are being provided by the state, they are people of the state. We had to tackle misconception. Yes, both public prosecutors and the lawyers under the LADCS are both governed by state, but they are different wings. This is the new office that is only concerned with representing the accused,” Gimekar said.As results became visible, word of mouth traveled through the barracks. “I have been in jail for almost a decade. Initially, I had my own lawyer because I was afraid Legal Aid lawyers would not be able to help. He charged me Rs 2 lakh. I managed to give him the money with the help of whatever savings I had. But suddenly he left the case after we had a disagreement. I was stranded… Thankfully I managed to secure a lawyer through the new system. He helped me secure bail.”Despite the success stories, the TISS study highlights that the scheme’s impact is constrained by persistent capacity gaps. The most immediate problem is understaffing, said Vijay Raghavan, professor, Centre for Criminology and Justice, School of Social Work, TISS and Project Director, Prayas-TISS. “In several districts, a small cadre of salaried defence counsels is responsible for an unmanageable volume of cases. While the entry of LADCs has definitely enriched the delivery of legal aid services for undertrials, the lack of sufficient number of LADCs, especially in big cities like Mumbai, leaves limited time for thorough preparation, sustained client engagement, or follow-up beyond urgent bail matters.”According to the TISS study, the strain is most visible at the level of the Chief Defense Counsel, a role that combines courtroom advocacy with administrative management, monitoring, mentoring, and reporting—functions that compete for attention and energy. While Gimekar manages 311 sessions trials alongside administrative duties, his deputies face even heavier volumes. Advocate Praveen Pandey handles 514 matters, advocate Shakuntala Sharma has 478, and advocate Lata Chheda manages 396.Infrastructure deficits further weaken delivery.“Many LADC offices lack adequate space, clerical support, and digital case-management systems. The absence of reliable, integrated documentation comes in the way of case tracking and contributes to delays in bail communication, court updates, and coordination with prisons and families,” the study noted.Access also remains uneven, added Prof Raghavan. District headquarters have benefited most from the scheme, but taluka courts and prisons continue to be relatively underserved. Time and travel constraints limit engagement in Sessions Court matters and serious offences, inadvertently skewing attention towards cases that can be processed quickly rather than those that require sustained defence.Coordination gaps persist across institutions. Limited routine engagement between defence counsels, prison authorities, police, and courts leads to procedural delays. While review meetings exist, stakeholders caution that monitoring risks becoming mechanical unless it meaningfully examines quality of representation and case outcomes rather than numerical performance alone. Finally, beneficiary mistrust remains a residual challenge.The study shows that the trust factor is steadily increasing among undertrials and prison officers about the efficacy of LADCs, decades of uneven legal aid delivery in taluka places under the empanelled system have shaped expectations. Structural reform alone has not fully dispelled the perception that free legal aid is slow, distant, or ineffective, the research said.

Man shoots ex-girlfriend, kills self in Noida car, message on phone hints at motive

NOIDA: A 32-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman were found dead with gunshot wounds inside a locked car in Sector 107 on Saturday afternoon. Police are investigating the twin deaths as murder-suicide, based on a message in the man’s phone that indicated he had killed his ex-girlfriend before turning the gun on himself.The two were identified as Rekha, a resident of Salarpur in Noida, and Sumit Kumar, a resident of Trilokpuri in Delhi. Rekha worked in a private company in Sector 62, while Sumit had a mineral water plant business.The deaths were discovered around 1pm on Saturday when locals found a suspiciously parked car near Dadri Road, close to pillar no 84, police said. The vehicle had been stationary for a long time. Passersby found a man, with a gun in his hand, and a woman, bleeding and unconscious in their seats, after which they alerted the police.A team from the Sector 39 police station broke open a window and discovered both dead from head gunshot wounds. They recovered a pistol, two spent cartridges, and confirmed the weapon was illegal.Separately, police are also looking at a message purportedly typed by Sumit on WhatsApp at 3.39pm on Friday. In the message, Sumit wrote that the two had been in a relationship for 15 years and had plans to get married. However, he wrote, Rekha recently decided to marry someone else, which prompted him to take the extreme step. It was not immediately clear if he sent the message to anyone or saved it for himself. Rekha’s family, meanwhile, claimed Sumit had been harassing her and a complaint was filed in the past. The matter was later resolved after he apologised and assured that he would not trouble her again, the family alleged. Rekha’s brother said the couple’s relationship had become strained in recent months as her family was arranging her marriage elsewhere because they belonged to different castes.Both families had filed missing person complaints on Friday – Rekha’s at Sector 58 police station in Noida and Sumit’s in Delhi.Investigators said it was likely the two planned the meeting in advance. Police are scanning CCTV footage from over 50 cameras in the area to determine when Rekha left her office and where she met Sumit. According to police sources, Rekha’s family said she usually returned home by 7pm. When she did not on Friday, they approached a local police outpost later in the night. Her phone remained off through Friday but was switched on around 7am on Saturday. Calls to it went unanswered.This indicates one or both was alive at the time and the shootings happened later in the morning on Saturday.Sumit’s brother Sachin questioned the circumstance of their deaths and said the spot where the car was found was less than a kilometre from Rekha’s house. He demanded a thorough investigation to rule out foul play.Additional deputy commissioner of police Manisha Singh told reporters, “Forensic teams were called to the spot. Blood samples, the weapon, and other material evidence were collected. Ballistic examination of the pistol will help determine the sequence of firing, the distance from which the shots were fired, and other crucial details,” she said. Officials said mobile phone data of both the deceased will be examined to reconstruct their movements and conversations prior to the incident. This is important because it will determine whether they spent the entire time in the car since they met on Friday evening, went somewhere or met someone.

Mumbai: The Bombay high court has ordered two senior BMC officers to pay Rs 11 each as costs for delay in initiating action against a ward officer who had not demolished an unauthorised construction in a building in Fort.“In order to ensure that the message goes out loud and clear to the corporation that the orders of every court should be acted upon with promptitude, we are imposing costs of Rs 11 to be paid by Chanda Jadhav, deputy municipal commissioner (zone-I), and by Ashwini Joshi, additional municipal commissioner (city), from their respective salary accounts,” said Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Abhay Mantri on February 9, directing the amounts to deposited within two days with Kirtikar Law Library in the high court.The suit filed by Green Twig Estate Management Pvt Ltd — landlord of Kirti Chambers — seeking demolition of a tenant’s illegal mezzanine floor was dismissed as statutory notice was not issued to BMC. The landlord appealed before HC. On August 5, 2024, after HC recorded that BMC had initiated action, the appeal was withdrawn. Since no action was taken, another petition was filed.On December 23, 2025, BMC’s advocate Vaishali Ugale submitted an August 10, 2024 speaking order. The judges said besides passing a “cryptic” order, no further steps were taken to demolish the structure. The order mentioned that if the structure is not razed by the tenant, it will be demolished by the office of the assistant municipal commissioner of A ward. Therefore, HC directed assistant municipal commissioner Jaydeep More to remain present the next day.On December 24, 2025, Ugale said “inadvertently the order could not be complied with”. The judges directed BMC to initiate action against More, who was present, “for having failed in performance of his duty”. The petition was disposed of and kept for compliance on January 30, 2025, but could not be heard. BMC issued More a show-cause notice the same day.Questioned about the delay on February 9, Ugale submitted the original file. The judges noted she had prepared a report for transmission of the December 24 order on December 26. On December 30, the file was dispatched to Jadhav who signed the order “9 days later” on January 8. Thereafter, it reached Joshi who signed it “19 days later” on January 27. BMC municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani on January 28 “promptly” directed the issue of show-cause notice to More. The judges found “the matter was delayed on account of delayed action at the desks” of Jadhav and Joshi. Show-cause notice to More was issued on January 30, when the matter was listed.

MUMBAI: Mulund police have arrested five persons – project director Harish Chauhan, project manager Kuldeep Sapkal, deputy manager Saurab Singh, and supervisor Prashant Bhoir from RAJV-Milan Infra, and project manager Avdhoot Inamdar from DB-Hill-LBG consortium – following the collapse of a parapet segment of the underconstruction Metro Line 4 on LBS Marg in Mulund West on Saturday afternoon, which left one person dead and three injured. Fire brigade teams, police, Metro staff and civic officials secured the site, and traffic on the arterial road was affected for several hours. Police said a nearly 150m stretch in the Sion-bound direction will remain closed until safety clearance is given after inspection by the MMRDA team, and diversions have been put in place to manage congestion in the Mulund-Bhandup belt.

MMRDA imposed a penalty of Rs 5 crore on the contractor RAJV-Milan, and Rs 1 crore on the project management consultant, DB-Hill-LBG consortium even as politicians called out the previous violations by the contractor and the lack of safety standards at infrastructure sites across the city.

Mulund MLA Mihir Kotecha said the parapet segment was installed on Friday and alleged labourers attended to it without a supervisor present. He claimed workers disturbed the temporary fastening of the segment, causing it to dislodge, and added that 54 violations by the contractor in Mulund were previously flagged, but ignored.Mayor Ritu Tawde said the recently installed stretch should have been barricaded, indicating negligence and a lack of adequate on-ground safety measures.Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, in a social media post, criticised safety standards at infrastructure sites and questioned whether the contractor would be blacklisted, alleging repeated lapses and inadequate barricading at project locations.MMRDA said it will bear the medical expenses of the injured and provide financial assistance to the affected family as per policy, assuring priority disbursal of compensation. The authority halted work at the stretch and began a structural safety assessment in coordination with BMC, disaster management authorities, police and fire brigade. The work falls under Package CA-10 of Metro Line 4.Additional metropolitan commissioner Ashwin Mudgal and senior officials inspected the site and reviewed safety measures, while doctors from Fortis Hospital were asked to independently assess the injured patients’ condition and suggest advanced intervention if required.A high-level inquiry committee, headed by Basavraj M Bhadragond, director (projects), was formed to examine construction methodology, quality control systems and supervision mechanisms. Further action, including blacklisting and contractual remedies, will be decided after the inquiry based on accountability.MMRDA clarified that viral visuals circulating online relate to a different location and not Pier .– Inputs by Mateen Hafeez