Colombo: India’s Ishan Kishan throughout an ICC Males’s T20 World Cup 2026 cricket match between India and Pakistan, at R Premadasa Stadium in Srilanka
| Photograph Credit score:
PTI
Ishan Kishan merged energy with finesse for a fifty earlier than Jasprit Bumrah destroyed Pakistan top-order along with his malevolently proficient right-arm, powering India to a T20 World Cup Tremendous Eight berth clinching one-sided 61-run win right here on Sunday.
Kishan’s supersonic 77 (40b) on a cheesy Premadasa pitch was value its weight in gold, carrying India to a aggressive 175 for seven after they had been requested to bat first. It was simply some of the entertaining T20I knocks by an Indian batter if one components in diploma of issue.
Pakistan’s batting
Pakistan wanted a robust Energy Play phase to chase 176 on this floor. However Bumrah (2/17) and Hardik Pandya (2/16) jettisoned big-hitting Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha to bowl out them for 114, lowering the much-anticipated match right into a no-contest. India now lead 8-1 in all T20 World Cup encounters.
Pandya began the bedlam within the first over of Pakistan’s chase, as his snorter obtained large on Farhan and he may solely sky it to Rinku Singh.
Colombo: India’s Jasprit Bumrah throughout an ICC Males’s T20 World Cup 2026 cricket match between India and Pakistan, at R Premadasa Stadium, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026.
| Photograph Credit score: PTI
Entered the irrepressible Bumrah. The premier pacer unleashed himself on Pakistan batters in his first over itself.
Ayub couldn’t deal with a devilish inswinging yorker to get caught in entrance of the wicket.
Agha was as clueless as an change pupil out of the country towards Bumrah’s again of size supply, scooping it to Panyda at mid-wicket.
Pakistan was in all types of hassle at 13 for 3, and which quickly grew to become 34 for 4 after Babar Azam’s horrendous slog sweep off Axar Patel noticed his stumps getting rearranged.
Their Powerplay produced 38 for 4 in comparison with India’s 52 for one, and that huge distinction continued to widen because the match progressed.
Out of resolve Pakistan
Pakistan didn’t have both talent or resolve to get out of the marshy land, and continued to perish towards Indian spinners by way of the center overs as Kuldeep Yadav, Axar, Tilak Varma and Varun Chakravarthy saved them beneath an unbreakable spell.
India’s batting
Colombo: India’s Tilak Varma performs a shot throughout an ICC Males’s T20 World Cup 2026 cricket match between India and Pakistan, at R Premadasa Stadium, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026.
| Photograph Credit score: PTI
Earlier, Kishan shared an 87-run alliance with Tilak for the second wicket during which the latter’s contribution was a princely 11.
The match, which had a number of previous dramatic weeks due to the admixture of sports activities and politics, began off on an uncommon word as Pakistan skipper Agha introduced himself on for off-spin and accounted for Abhishek Sharma.
The off-spin continued by way of Ayub (3/25) within the energy play and it fetched the specified outcome.
Abhishek went for a loft off Agha however couldn’t clear Shaheen Shah Afridi on the fringe of the circle within the remaining ball of the primary over.
However for the following 7.4 overs, Kishan transformed the Premadasa into his personal little kingdom, pictures flying throughout the huge corners of this venue.
The left-hander began with an boastful chin-high pull off pacer Afridi that thundered into the hoardings past the mid-wicket fence.
However that was a mere appetizer. The Jharkhand man quickly dismantled an armada of Pakistan spinners.
Agha and Ayub had been dispatched for a 4 every, whereas leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed was carted for a six and 4 off successive deliveries.
The 4 was a spectacular shot. Regardless of the slowness of the deck, Kishan lent energy and placement to the late reduce by way of his malleable wrists, forcing the ball sped to the third man fence.
Later, leg-spinner Shadab Khan too was clobbered for a six as Kishan raced to his fifty in simply 27 balls, spectacular contemplating the lower than superb circumstances for shot-making and an opposition, who has already performed a few matches on this a part of the world.
Tilak didn’t exactly battle, however didn’t look completely snug both as Kishan took it upon himself the duties of pushing the rating forward.
However Kishan’s try to offer himself area and carve Ayub over mid-wicket had disastrous penalties.
He missed the ball altogether to lose the bails as Pakistani gamers heaved a sigh of reduction.
From there, they clawed again, and Ayub was on the forefront of their revival.
The offie jettisoned Tilak (25, 24b) and Hardik Pandya (0) off consecutive deliveries as India abruptly slipped to 126 for 4 from 126 for 2 within the fifteenth over.
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav (32, 28b) and Shivam Dube (27, 17b) couldn’t flex their entire muscle however did sufficient so as to add 33 runs to take India previous the 150-run mark.
Dube additionally dealt with thriller spinner Usman Tariq, who was saved again until the eleventh over, stealing a few boundaries.
Tariq too had his second when he priced out Suryakumar within the nineteenth over.
However a 15-run remaining over by Afridi during which Dube and Rinku Singh tore into him pushed India into the 170 territory.
Printed on February 15, 2026
