Colombo, Feb 15 (NationPress) In their crucial Group A encounter of the Men's T20 World Cup at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Sunday, India concluded their innings at 175/7 after 20 overs against Pakistan. The star of the match was wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan, who delivered an impressive performance, scoring 77 runs off 40 balls with 10 fours and 3 sixes. On the other hand, Saim Ayub's brilliant bowling performance of 3/25 kept Pakistan in the game.

Kishan's explosive batting at the top allowed India to pace themselves through the middle overs. Together, Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav contributed 57 runs from 53 balls, yet their cautious approach indicated India's understanding that the pitch was not suited for a score exceeding 200, particularly with Pakistan deploying 18 overs of spin.

The innings showcased two distinct phases: Kishan's fearless batting in the initial half, followed by a tightening grip from Pakistan's spinners. The slow pitch provided challenges for batting, and India struggled to maintain momentum in the final overs as Pakistan consistently took wickets.

Whether 175 is a defendable total remains uncertain; Pakistan will need to display discipline and aggression to chase down this target against a formidable Indian spin attack.

India's chase commenced shakily as Abhishek Sharma, returning from injury, misplayed a delivery from Salman Ali Agha, resulting in a duck. However, Kishan quickly established himself, smashing Shaheen Shah Afridi for six over square leg. A fortunate inside edge brought him another four, while Varma also got off the mark with a boundary, helping India rack up 15 runs in the second over.

Kishan continued to dominate, hitting Salman for a lofted four and then punishing Saim Ayub with a boundary over square leg. Despite a few deliveries stopping on the pitch, Kishan sustained his aggressive momentum, welcoming Abrar Ahmed with a massive six over square and cutting for another four.

Kishan faced a close call when a catch was nearly taken at mid-on, but he managed to find boundaries, including a deft glide for four. As India finished the powerplay at 52/1, Kishan opened up his bat face for another four off Abrar, followed by two powerful strokes that brought up his half-century off just 27 balls.

The introduction of Shadab Khan did little to stem the flow of runs as Kishan swept him for four and then sent a towering six over deep mid-wicket, reverberating across the ground. However, Kishan's innings came to an end when a sharp delivery from Saim Ayub turned dramatically, disrupting his early backing away from the ball.

Suryakumar Yadav made his presence felt by pulling Usman Tariq's first delivery through the gap for four. Varma soon delivered the stroke of the match, a majestic six over extra cover off Mohammad Nawaz, although Suryakumar faced a tight lbw review.

India's steady approach through the middle overs was disrupted after the drinks break as Ayub trapped Varma lbw attempting a sweep. This led to a rapid succession of wickets, with Hardik Pandya also falling for a golden duck, misplaying a carrom ball.

Ayub almost secured a hat-trick, narrowly missing the stumps with a delivery that turned past Shivam Dube’s defensive shot. Pakistan even wasted a review for a caught behind, as the ball had missed the edge comfortably.

From that point, Suryakumar and Shivam Dube managed four boundaries between them until Suryakumar mistimed a slog. Dube and Rinku Singh hit three boundaries in the final over off Shaheen, but both Dube and Axar Patel fell in quick succession, as India scored 35 runs in the last three overs.

Brief Scores: India 175/7 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 77, Suryakumar Yadav 32; Saim Ayub 3-25, Salman Agha 1-10) against Pakistan.