Colombo, Feb 15 (NationPress) The reigning champions, India, secured a commanding victory against Pakistan by 61 runs in their crucial Group A encounter at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday, clinching their spot in the Super Eights. Ishan Kishan’s explosive 77 laid the groundwork, with India’s bowlers effectively keeping the target of 176 out of reach, bowling Pakistan out for 114 in just 18 overs.

Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah made early breakthroughs, as Pakistan’s top order faltered due to poor shot selection. Despite a resilient 44 from Usman Khan, his dismissal by Axar Patel snuffed out any remaining hopes, with the bowling unit maintaining relentless pressure throughout.

This collapse serves as another stark reminder of Pakistan's batting vulnerabilities in high-pressure scenarios. Their total of 114 marks their third-lowest in T20 World Cup history, following their 82 against the West Indies in 2014 and 113 against India in 2024. In contrast, India can take confidence from Kishan’s fireworks, which provided a solid platform for victory, as the bowlers executed their plans flawlessly.

Pandya set the tone with a wicket-maiden opening over, restricting Sahibzada Farhan from scoring and forcing him into a mistimed pull that resulted in a four-ball duck.

Bumrah quickly followed suit, taking two wickets in rapid succession—first deceiving Saim Ayub with an inswinger and then dismissing Salman Agha, who chipped a simple catch to mid-on. With Pakistan at 13/3 within two overs, their chase was already in disarray.

Usman Khan briefly lifted spirits with a couple of stylish boundaries off Axar Patel, but Babar Azam's dismissal from a slog-sweep left Pakistan teetering at 34/4 by the fifth over. Nevertheless, Usman stood firm, reaching 43 off 31 balls.

However, the task remained daunting, with 105 runs needed from the last 10 overs. Kuldeep Yadav's excellent 10th over proved pivotal, denying Usman a boundary and forcing him into riskier shots against Axar, who then stumped Usman for 44 off 34 balls.

With Usman's exit, Pakistan's hopes of chasing down the target evaporated. The procession continued as Kuldeep dismissed Mohammad Nawaz with a full toss, and Tilak Varma struck on his first ball, dismissing Shadab Khan.

At 78/7 in 12.1 overs, Pakistan's chase had completely unraveled, as India's spinners and seamers dominated, sealing the match decisively for the defending champions. Varun Chakaravarthy took two wickets, while Pandya, despite seeing catches dropped off his bowling, knocked over Usman Tariq's middle stump, ensuring India triumphed over Pakistan in the T20 World Cup once again.

Brief scores:

India 175/7 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 77, Suryakumar Yadav 32; Saim Ayub 3-25, Salman Agha 1-10) beat Pakistan 114 all out in 18 overs (Usman Khan 44, Shaheen Shah Afridi 23; Hardik Pandya 2-16, Varun Chakaravarthy 2-17) by 61 runs