India scored 175/7 when the Green Shirts elected to bowl, while Pakistan were dismissed for 114 at Colombo.
Defending champions India dominated arch-rivals Pakistan in their T20 World Cup meeting, winning by 61 runs and commanding the group points table.
Pakistan’s start was even poorer than their opponents’, as Sahibzada Farhan, the team’s most promising batter in recent times, was dismissed for a duck in the opening over by Hardik Pandya.
Ayub, who had previously taken three wickets, tried to make an impression with the bat by smashing a six off Jasprit Bumrah, but was caught LBW by India’s star bowler on the following delivery.
The problems continued as skipper Salman Ali Agha was removed in the same over for striking a boundary, leaving Pakistan at 13 for three.
Axar Patel dealt Pakistan a significant blow when he dismissed Babar Azam for five runs off seven deliveries.
Following a flurry of wickets, Usman Khan was joined by Shadab Khan, and together they halted the slide, bringing the total to 73. Usman appeared to be the only consistent batsman in the innings, scoring 44 from 34 balls. Patel caught him as he tried to accelerate, and Kishan made no mistakes behind the stumps.
Nawaz’s stay was brief, as he was trapped in the deep while attempting to hit a low full toss from Kuldeep Yadav, and Shadab Khan was also dismissed for 14 from 15 balls, leaving Pakistan at 86-7.
Faheem Ashraf, who had a match-winning knock against the Netherlands, too failed to make an impression, falling for 10 off 14 balls, while Abrar was bowled on the first delivery by Varun Chakravarthy, inflicting a double blow to Pakistan.
Shaheen, Pakistan’s second-best batsman after Usman, struck 23 off 19 balls to assist his team reach 100 runs, but the Green Shirts were finally bowled out for 114, handing India a 61-run win.
Pakistan’s poor batting performance was clear, with seven batsmen failing to reach double digits.
Ishan Kishan was chosen Player of the Match after scoring 77 runs off 40 balls.
Pakistan will now face Namibia on Wednesday, while India will play the Netherlands on the same day. The top two teams will advance to the Super Eight round.
Earlier, Ishan Kishan’s blazing 77 off 40 balls propelled India to a challenging 175-7.
Pakistan captain Agha won the toss and chose to bowl first at the R Premadasa Stadium, where cricket’s biggest foes faced in a high-voltage group-stage match.
Pakistan had an excellent start as Agha dismissed the dangerous Abhishek Sharma for a duck in the first over.
However, Kishan replied forcefully. The left-hander went on Shaheen Shah Afridi, scoring 15 runs in his opening over to turn the momentum. Kishan reached his half-century in just 27 deliveries while maintaining a strike rate of around 200.
Spinner Abrar Ahmed took the brunt of the attack, while Shadab Khan proved costly as India kept the scoreboard ticking. Kishan dominated the second-wicket partnership, hitting the majority of the runs before being dismissed for 77, an innings that included 10 boundaries and three sixes.
Tilak Varma and skipper Suryakumar Yadav then added 38 runs for the third wicket, bringing the total to 126, but Saim Ayub struck again in quick succession, striking Tilak for 25 off 24 balls and Hardik Pandya for a duck.
Yadav eventually found backup in Shivam Dube, and the tandem took the score to 159. The Indian captain scored 32 from 29 balls before holing out at deep midwicket, with Ayub implicated in the dismissal.
Dube contributed a quick 27 off 17 deliveries, while Rinku Singh’s 11 off four balls provided late momentum, enabling India end at 175 for seven in their allocated 20 overs.
Ayub was the most effective bowler, taking three wickets for 25 runs in four overs, while Usman Tariq, Agha, and Afridi each took one wicket.
After winning the toss, Agha explained that the choice to bowl first was influenced by the pitch conditions, characterizing the surface as little sticky and likely to help bowlers early on. “It is a big game, but everyone is relaxed and focused, and we are looking forward to the challenge,” Salman said at the toss. “This is a larger ground than the SSC and slightly slower as well. We are going in with the same crew.”
The game in Colombo has sparked worldwide interest, with fans and broadcasters bracing for another emotional chapter in the Pakistan-India rivalry, a fixture that always lies at the nexus of sport, passion, and business on the international calendar.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav stated he was unconcerned with losing the toss, claiming his team would have decided to bat first anyway.
“It’s easy to say this is just another game, but it’s a high-stakes contest,” said the right-handed batter. “Cricket teaches you many things, and anyone can have a good day.”
India made changes to their playing XI, with Abhishek Sharma and Kuldeep Yadav joining the squad. Suryakumar stated that Arshdeep Singh was left out, and speculated that Sanju Samson may be the other exclusion.
Historically, India has dominated Pakistan in T20 Internationals, winning 13 of their 16 matches, while Pakistan has won three.
Both clubs were unbeaten in the group stage, which added to the excitement of the match on Sunday. Pakistan defeated the Netherlands and the United States, while India defeated the USA and Namibia, setting up a match that might decide the T20 World Cup group rankings.
Pakistan’s bowling attack will be led by fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, who will be assisted by all-rounders Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Nawaz, while spinners Abrar Ahmed and Usman Tariq are anticipated to take advantage of the slower Colombo pitch. With the bat, Pakistan will look on Babar Azam to lead the innings, with aggressive openers Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub.
India, however, has a strong batting lineup that includes Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, and Rinku Singh, with Jasprit Bumrah heading the speed attack and Varun Chakravarthy delivering mysterious spin in the middle overs.
With qualifying possibilities narrowing and pressure increasing, Sunday’s match between Pakistan and India set to be another thrilling event in one of cricket’s most fierce rivalries.
Teams
Pakistan XI: Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha (capt), Babar Azam, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Tariq, Abrar Ahmed
India XI: Ishan Kishan (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah
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