Colombo, Feb 15 (NationPress) On a tricky, spin-dominant surface at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Ishan Kishan showcased his talent by scoring a remarkable 77 runs off just 40 deliveries, leading India to a commanding 61-run victory against Pakistan in the Men’s T20 World Cup Group A encounter in Colombo, thus securing their spot in the Super Eights.

Kishan’s innings, featuring 10 boundaries and 3 sixes, was pivotal in a match where 18 of the 20 overs bowled to India were by spinners. His aggressive batting helped the defending champions post a total of 175/7, a score that seemed to be at least 30 runs beyond par. Pakistan’s response never gained momentum due to early wickets taken by Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah, reinforcing the belief that India had already done enough to secure the win.

Usman Khan’s 44 runs off 34 balls stood out as the only positive for Pakistan, as his performance merely kept the scoreboard ticking without changing the game’s trajectory, leading to Pakistan’s collapse at 114 all out in just 18 overs, thanks to a disciplined Indian bowling attack executing their game plan effectively.

This defeat served as yet another reminder of Pakistan’s batting vulnerabilities during high-stakes matches. Their total of 114 ranks as their third-lowest in T20 World Cup history, surpassed only by the 82 against West Indies in 2014 and 113 against India in 2024.

The impact of Kishan’s innings highlighted the statistics. Following Abhishek Sharma’s duck against Salman Agha’s off-spin, the remaining Indian batting lineup, including extras, could only muster 98 runs off 80 balls, illustrating the challenging pitch conditions. However, Kishan’s explosive innings had already tipped the scales, and once Pakistan’s top order faltered during the power-play, India’s emphatic triumph over their rivals became a foregone conclusion.

India’s innings started on a shaky note, with the returning Abhishek Sharma misplaying a delivery from Salman Ali Agha and departing for a duck. Nevertheless, Kishan quickly asserted dominance, sending Shaheen Shah Afridi over square leg for a six. A fortunate inside edge resulted in another boundary, while Tilak Varma also got off the mark with an edge that slipped past slip for four, accumulating 15 runs in the second over.

Kishan welcomed Salman with a lofted four over mid-on, followed by a short ball from Saim Ayub that was sent over square leg for yet another boundary. Despite a few deliveries keeping low, Kishan sustained his momentum, hitting Abrar Ahmed for a towering six before cutting him through cover for four.

He narrowly avoided a catch at mid-on and quickly followed with another boundary through cuts. Meanwhile, Tilak edged one past short third for four as India concluded the power-play at 52/1. When Abrar bowled his second over, Kishan displayed exquisite timing with a delicate glide past short third for four, followed by two commanding shots—a lofted drive over the bowler’s head and a powerful cover drive—to reach his half-century in just 27 balls.

The introduction of Shadab Khan failed to curb the run rate, as Kishan swept him over fine leg for four, then launched a massive six over deep mid-wicket, the sound resonating throughout the stadium. However, after executing a stunning reverse hit over backward point, Kishan was eventually dismissed by a well-bowled delivery from Saim Ayub that turned sharply from leg stump.

Suryakumar Yadav made his presence felt by pulling Usman Tariq’s first ball through the gap for four. Shortly after, Tilak Varma produced a stunning lofted six off Mohammad Nawaz over extra cover, while Suryakumar narrowly survived a tight lbw review against Nawaz.

India’s composed approach during the middle overs faced disruption following the drinks break, with Ayub trapping Varma lbw as he attempted a sweep. Pakistan capitalized on the situation with Hardik Pandya, who, promoted to accelerate, misplayed a carrom ball, resulting in a golden duck.

Ayub nearly achieved a hat-trick, with a delivery dipping and turning past Shivam Dube’s defensive shot, missing the stumps by mere inches. Pakistan wasted a review for a caught behind, as the ball had comfortably missed the edge.

Suryakumar and Shivam Dube struck four boundaries between them before the former mistimed a slog to deep mid-wicket off Tariq. Dube and Rinku Singh hit three boundaries in the final over against Shaheen, with Dube and Axar Patel getting dismissed on the last two balls, adding 35 runs in the last three overs.

Pandya set the tone with a wicket maiden opening over, denying Sahibzada Farhan any runs and forcing a mistimed pull that resulted in a four-ball duck.

Jasprit Bumrah quickly followed up with two wickets, first deceiving Saim Ayub with an inswinger and later dismissing Salman Agha, who chipped a simple catch to mid-on. At 13/3 within two overs, Pakistan’s chase was already in turmoil.

Usman Khan brought some hope with a couple of elegant boundaries off Axar Patel, but Babar Azam’s dismissal during a slog-sweep left Pakistan struggling at 34/4 in the fifth over. Usman, however, kept fighting, hitting four more boundaries to reach 43 off 31 balls.

Even then, the challenge remained steep for Pakistan, needing 105 runs off the final 10 overs. Kuldeep Yadav’s economical 10th over was crucial, as he denied Usman a boundary, pushing him into riskier shots against Axar in the subsequent over. Axar anticipated the charge and bowled one that led to Usman being stumped for 44 off 34 balls.

With that dismissal, Pakistan’s hopes of successfully chasing dwindled. The collapse continued as Kuldeep accounted for Mohammad Nawaz with a full toss, while Tilak Varma struck on his first ball to dismiss Shadab Khan.

At 78/7 after 12.1 overs, Pakistan’s chase had fully unraveled, as India’s spinners and seamers combined to ensure a decisive victory for the defending champions. Varun Chakaravarthy took two wickets, while Pandya, after witnessing a couple of dropped catches off his bowling, bowled Usman Tariq to seal India’s comprehensive victory 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