Ishan Kishan defies a difficult Colombo pitch with 77 as India beat Pakistan by 61 runs in Group A of cricket’s T20 World Cup.
Revealed On 15 Feb 2026
Defending champions India have thumped Pakistan by 61 runs in a grudge Group A match of the Twenty20 World Cup to safe their place within the Tremendous Eight stage of the cricket event.
Ishan Kishan’s breakneck 77 powered India to 175-7 on Sunday on the R Premadasa Stadium, the place Pakistan’s spin-heavy assault managed to use the brakes to an extent after the opener’s exit.
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The event co-hosts returned to bundle out Pakistan for 114 in 18 overs to register their third win in a row.
The match went forward after Pakistan earlier reversed their determination to boycott the sport in solidarity with Bangladesh, whose staff refused to tour India over security considerations and have been changed by Scotland.
Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha and his India counterpart Suryakumar Yadav didn’t shake arms on the toss, although.
India have been strengthened by the return of Abhishek Sharma, who missed the primary two matches with a abdomen an infection. However the opener couldn’t make it rely.
Pakistan’s Salman sprang a shock by opening the assault himself, and the transfer paid off because the spinner trapped Abhishek lbw to take away the reigning primary batter in T20 Internationals.
Pakistan used three spinners within the powerplay to attempt to stem boundary movement, and India’s rating of 52-1 after six overs urged the ploy labored to an extent.
Kishan couldn’t be contained, although, and the diminutive southpaw tore into the Pakistan assault together with his take-no-prisoners batting.
The opener took solely 27 balls to race to his second successive fifty of the event.
Saim Ayub ended Kishan’s 40-ball blitz, however India have been 92-2 on the midway stage of their innings.
Ayub (3-25) dismissed Tilak Varma (25) and Hardik Pandya with successive deliveries to show the warmth again on India.
Suryakumar (32) and Shivam Dube (27) couldn’t fairly present the late flourish to take India previous the 200-mark that had seemed properly inside their attain at one stage.
Pakistan grew to become the primary staff to make use of six spinners in a T20 World Cup match, however the pleasure of getting restricted India underneath 200 evaporated quickly as they slumped to 13-3 in two overs of their chase.
Pandya eliminated Pakistan’s in-form opener Sahibzada Farhan for a duck, and Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Ayub and Salman in the identical over to pin down Pakistan.
Babar Azam (5) didn’t final lengthy both, and Pakistan have been gasping at 38-4 after the six powerplay overs.
Usman Khan (44) defied India for some time, however Axar Patel lured him out to be stumped to successfully snuff out Pakistan’s probabilities of an unlikely victory.
