Advertisement
Advertisement
COLOMBO: Ishan Kishan’s majestic 77 and a resounding bowling performance from India bowlers overwhelmed Pakistan in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, played here at the RPS Stadium on Sunday.
Set a stiff 176, Pakistan fell way short of the target and were skittled for 114 in 18 overs.
Pakistan were off to a horror start as they lost 13-3 in the first two overs.
Hardik Pandya started the proceedings with Sahibzada Farhan’s (0) wicket before ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah sent back Saim Ayub (6) and Salman Ali Agha (4) in one over.
After an early blow, Usman Khan and Babar Azam tried to arrest the slide with a brief 21-run partnership.
However, the Green Shirts’ woes compounded when Babar Azam, trying to play slog sweep, was cleaned bowled by Axar Patel.
His poor run in the T20Is continued as he managed only five.
Despite the wickets tumbling around him, Usman counterattacked in a bid to take control of the required run rate.
His resistance ended when Pakistan were 73 in 10.4 overs. He remained the top-scorer with 44 from 34 balls, laced with six fours and a six.
Following his dismissal, Pakistan’s innings quickly unraveled with none of the batters showing grit in front of a disciplined Indian bowling attack.
For India, it was an all-round bowling performance with each of the main bowlers picking up a wicket.
Varun Chakravarthy, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, and Hardik Pandya picked up two wickets each.
Earlier, Ishan Kishan’s batting carnage powered India into a commanding position before Saim Ayub’s spin wizardry halted their progress.
Put into bat first, India racked up 175-7 in their 20 overs.
Pakistan inflicted a poor start on India with Abhishek Sharma’s dismissal in the very first over.
The left-hander was caught for a duck in an interesting move from skipper Salman Ali Agha, who himself decided to bowl the opening over.
After an early wicket, Ishan Kishan unleashed fireworks that Pakistan could not control till the halfway mark of the innings.
He forged a 87 run partnership off 46 with Tilak Varma to keep India afloat. The pair brought the scorecard to 88 in 8.4 overs.
Kishan played the core aggressor role while Varma played the second fiddle.
Pakistan managed to hold on as the stand eventually culminated with Kishan’s wicket.
He remained the top-scorer with a sublime 77 from 40, peppered with 10 fours and three sixes.
Despite the wicket, India carried on the momentum as skipper Suryakumar Yadav stitched a cautious 38-run stand with Varma.
India were 126 in 14.2 overs when Saim Ayub turned the game with his double-wicket over.
The right-arm off-spinner removed Varma and Haridk Pandya on back-to-back deliveries to make a strong comeback.
Varma made a sluggish 25 from 24 with the aid of a six and two fours, whereas Pandya was caught on long off for a duck.
Consequently, India suddenly slumped to 126-4 in 14.3 overs.
After quick wickets, Pakistan effectively managed to slow down India’s progress despite a brief stand of 33 between Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube.
Yadav eventually departed after scoring 32 from 29, while Dube played till the end, ensuring that India posted an above-par score.
The left-hander struck 27 off 17 with the aid of three fours and a six.
For Pakistan, it was Saim Ayub who stood out with the ball, picking up three wickets in his four overs while giving away only 25.
Usman Tariq was the other bowler who remained economical. The off-spinner gave only 24 in his four overs and took the important wicket of the Indian skipper.
Playing XIs
Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha (c), Babar Azam, Usman Khan (wk), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Usman Tariq, and Abrar Ahmed.
India: Ishan Kishan (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.
READ: USA keep T20 World Cup hopes alive with win over Namibia
