Monday, 16 February 2026 | Web Desk

In a high-voltage ICC T20 World Cup group encounter at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, India secured a commanding 61-run victory over Pakistan to qualify for the Super eight stage of the tournament.

Pakistan Captain Salman Agha won the toss and elected to bowl first, inviting India to bat on a pitch expected to assist bowlers early on.

India’s Innings: Kishan Shines After Early Jolt

India’s innings got off to a disastrous start when opener Abhishek Sharma was dismissed for a golden duck in the very first over, caught behind off the bowling of Pakistan captain Salman Agha.

However, Ishan Kishan steadied the ship with a magnificent knock. The left-hander played a responsible innings, scoring 77 runs off just 40 balls, laced with boundaries and sixes. His aggressive stroke play put the Indian innings on track. He was eventually bowled by Saim Ayub.

At 126 runs in the 15th over, Tilak Varma fell for 25, also dismissed by Saim Ayub. On the very next ball, Hardik Pandya was trapped leg-before by Ayub for a golden duck, giving the Pakistani pacer a double-wicket maiden.

India’s fifth wicket fell at 159 when captain Suryakumar Yadav was dismissed for 32, caught by Usman Tariq. Dubey contributed 27 runs, while Axar Patel was run out for a duck.

India finished their 20 overs at 175 for the loss of 7 wickets.

Pakistan’s Bowling:

Saim Ayub was the pick of the bowlers, claiming 3 wickets.
Usman Tariq bowled an economical spell, taking 1 wicket for 24 runs in his 4 overs.
Shaheen Afridi and Salman Agha took one wicket each.

Pakistan’s Batting Collapse

Chasing a target of 176 runs, Pakistan’s batting lineup once again failed to fire. The entire team was bowled out for a paltry 114 runs in just 18 overs.

The top order crumbled under pressure, with captain Salman Agha managing only 4 runs and Babar Azam scoring 5. As many as seven Pakistani batsmen failed to reach double figures, and three were dismissed for ducks.

Usman Khan was the lone warrior for Pakistan, scoring 44 runs—the highest in the innings. Shadab Khan contributed 14, while Fakhar Zaman scored 10 before being dismissed.

India’s Bowling:

The Indian bowling attack was disciplined and destructive:

Hardik Pandya, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, and Axar Patel took two wickets each.
Tilak Varma and Kuldeep Yadav chipped in with one wicket apiece.

Playing XIs:

Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Salman Ali Agha (c), Usman Khan, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq.

India: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Dubey, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh.

Notable Moment:

At the toss, the captains of Pakistan and India did not shake hands, adding a layer of intensity to the already charged atmosphere.

With this win, India has officially secured its place in the Super Eight stage of the ICC T20 World Cup, while Pakistan faces an uphill battle to stay in contention.