ICC T20 World Cup: India Hands Crushing 61-Run Defeat to Pakistan; Enters Super 8

India defeated Pakistan by 61 runs in their ICC T20 World Cup Group A clash in Colombo on Sunday, powered by Ishan Kishan’s 77 and a collective bowling effort that dismantled the opposition for 114 in 18 overs. India posted 175/7 in 20 overs before bundling out Pakistan, maintaining their unbeaten run with three wins in three matches.

With this result, India remains on top of Group A. Pakistan slipped to third place with two wins and one loss, while the USA hold second spot with two victories and two defeats.

How India Built Match-Winning Total

After being asked to bat first, India suffered an early setback when Abhishek Sharma fell for a four-ball duck, dismissed by Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha in the opening over.

Ishan Kishan then shifted momentum alongside Tilak Varma. The duo attacked Shaheen Afridi and Abrar Ahmed during the powerplay, taking India to 52/1 after six overs.

Kishan reached his half-century in just 27 deliveries, registering the third-fastest fifty in India-Pakistan T20I contests. He struck 77 off 40 balls, hitting 10 fours and three sixes. His innings marked the third-highest individual score in India-Pakistan T20I history, behind Virat Kohli’s 78* and 82*, and Mohammad Rizwan’s 79*.

The 87-run partnership between Kishan and Tilak ended when Saim Ayub dismissed Kishan in the ninth over, leaving India at 88/2.
Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak then steadied the innings as India crossed 100 in 11.1 overs and reached 125/2 by the 14th over.

Pakistan clawed back in the 15th over when Ayub removed Tilak Varma (25) and dismissed Hardik Pandya for a golden duck on consecutive deliveries. Suryakumar Yadav contributed 32 off 29 balls before falling in the 19th over.

India added late runs, with Shaheen Afridi conceding 16 in the final over as the total reached 175/7, the highest team score in an India-Pakistan ICC T20 World Cup encounter.

Saim Ayub was Pakistan’s standout bowler with 3/25, while Usman Tariq, Shaheen Afridi and Salman Agha picked up a wicket each.

Pakistan’s Collapse Under Pressure

Chasing 176, Pakistan endured a disastrous start. Hardik Pandya dismissed Sahibzada Farhan for a four-ball duck, and Jasprit Bumrah struck twice in quick succession to remove Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha. Pakistan were reeling at 13/3 inside two overs.

Babar Azam struggled for fluency before Axar Patel dismissed him for 5, reducing Pakistan to 34/4. Usman Khan counter-attacked, scoring 44 off 34 balls with six fours and a six. Alongside Shadab Khan, he added 39 runs to briefly stabilise the innings as Pakistan reached 71/4 at the halfway mark.

Axar Patel broke the stand when Ishan Kishan completed a sharp stumping to remove Usman at 73/5. The collapse intensified as wickets fell in clusters. Mohammed Nawaz, Shadab Khan and Faheem Ashraf departed in quick succession. Varun Chakravarthy and Tilak Varma joined the wicket-takers, while Abrar Ahmed was trapped lbw for a golden duck.

Pakistan crossed the 100-run mark but never threatened the target. Hardik Pandya cleaned up the tail to bowl them out for 114 in 18 overs. Axar Patel (2/29) led the bowling effort, supported by Hardik Pandya (2/16), Jasprit Bumrah (2/17) and Varun Chakravarthy (2/17), each claiming two wickets.