COLOMBO: Pakistan suffered a crushing 61-run defeat against India in their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 group-stage match at the R Premadasa Stadium on Sunday.
A blistering half-century by Ishan Kishan, followed by a collective bowling effort, powered India to a dominant victory over their arch-rivals.
Chasing a daunting target of 176, Pakistan’s batting collapsed as they were bowled out for just 114 in 18 overs.
Pakistan endured a disastrous start when India’s pace duo Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya ripped through the top order. Sahibzada Farhan fell for a duck, Saim Ayub managed six, while captain Salman Ali Agha was dismissed for four, leaving Pakistan reeling at 13/3 inside two overs.
Wicketkeeper batter Usman Khan tried to stabilise the innings and shared a brief partnership with Babar Azam, who was dismissed for five by Axar Patel.
Usman then added 39 runs with Shadab Khan before Patel struck again to remove him. Usman remained Pakistan’s top scorer with a valiant 44 off 34 balls, including six fours and a six.
After his dismissal, Pakistan lost wickets in quick succession. Mohammad Nawaz scored four, while Shadab managed only 14 as the side slipped to 78/7.
Faheem Ashraf and Shaheen Shah Afridi added 19 runs, but Varun Chakravarthy triggered another collapse, dismissing Faheem and later Abrar Ahmed for a golden duck. Pandya delivered the final blow by cleaning up Usman Tariq.
For India, Bumrah, Patel, Pandya and Chakravarthy took two wickets each, while Kuldeep Yadav and Tilak Varma chipped in with one apiece.
Earlier, Pakistan’s decision to field first backfired as India posted a competitive 175/7. India suffered an early setback when Abhishek Sharma fell for a duck, but Kishan led a stunning recovery.
Kishan and Tilak Varma put together an 87-run stand that frustrated Pakistan’s bowlers. Kishan smashed 77 off 40 balls, hitting 10 fours and three sixes, before being dismissed by Saim Ayub.
Varma contributed 25, while skipper Suryakumar Yadav added 32. Shivam Dube provided late momentum with 27 off 17 balls.
Saim Ayub was Pakistan’s standout bowler, taking 3/25 in four overs, while Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Afridi and Usman Tariq claimed one wicket each.