16 February,2026 08:30 AM IST | Colombo | R Kaushik
Ishan Kishan during his 40-ball 77 against Pakistan in Colombo on Sunday. Pic/PTI
The surface at the Premadasa Stadium was tacky, the ball also gripping and turning to curb free scoring, but no one had told Ishan Kishan that.
India's diminutive wicketkeeper-batter produced his second blistering half-century in four nights, taking Pakistan's vaunted, six-pronged spin attack apart in a sensational display of ball-striking that decisively tilted the T20 World Cup Group A contest India's way.
Just how special Kishan's wondrous 77, made off just 40 balls with 10 fours and three sixes was, was evidenced in the second half of the night when Pakistan lost five wickets before getting past the left-hander's total, taking 66 balls to do so.
Once Kishan did his bidding and the rest chipped in, but without the same fluency or impact, there was only one winner. India ended up on 175-7, certainly more than par for the score given the conditions.
The two-paced nature of the pitch had prevented Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav from freely expressing themselves, and India owed it to late fireworks from Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh to eke out 48 runs in the last five overs.
Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah then provided the early fireworks with the ball, the former dismissing Sahibzada Farhan in the first over and Bumrah accounting for Saim Ayub and Agha in the second to leave Pakistan reeling at 13 for three. For there, it was routine business with India's spinners lying in wait. Pakistan were shot out for 114, leaving India winners by a commanding margin of 61 runs.
India had predictably fortified their spin attack by bringing in Kuldeep Yadav for Arshdeep Singh, but by the time he was summoned to the bowling crease, Pakistan were 66-4 after nine overs. Axar Patel weighed in with the sticks of Babar Azam and Usman Khan, the wicketkeeper who provided the lone pocket of resistance with a 34-ball 44. India thus secured their place in the Super Eights with a game to spare, while also extending their T20 World Cup record against Pakistan to a commanding 8-1 margin.
Brief scores
India 175-7 in 20 overs (I Kishan 77, S Yadav 32; S Ayub 3-25) beat Pakistan 114 all out in 18 overs (U Khan 44; H Pandya 2-16, V Chakravarthy 2-17, J Bumrah 2-17, A Patel 2-29) by 61 runs
Six
No. of spinners used by Pakistan on Sunday - the most by a team in a T20 World Cup innings
Four
No. of ducks for Abhishek Sharma in his last six T20Is
175-7
Runs scored by India on Sunday - the highest-ever in an Indo-Pak T20 World Cup encounter
