India defeated Pakistan by 61 runs at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Sunday to book their place in the T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8s.
In a high-pressure group match, India dominated with both bat and ball. Pakistan had chosen to act first, but that decision did not work in their favor.
India posted a strong 175 for 7 after he was put in to bat. The star of the show was Ishan Kishan, who hit 77 off just 40 balls.
Kishan’s knock had 10 fours and 3 sixes. He attacked from the start and never allowed Pakistan to settle. He added 87 runs with Tilak Varma, who scored 25. Their stand gave India the perfect platform in the middle overs.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav scored 32 and kept the scoreboard ticking. Shivam Dube added 27 with some clean hits.
Rinku Singh finished in style with an unbeaten 11 off just four balls. For Pakistan, Saim Ayub was the best bowler with 3 for 25.
Bowlers seal the deal
The pursuit in Pakistan never really got off the ground. They were reduced to 13 for 3 in the first two overs. That early collapse hurt them badly, and they never recovered from it.
Usman Khan tried to fight back with 44 runs. Shaheen Afridi also played a brave unbeaten knock of 23. But the target was too big and India’s bowlers were too sharp.
Hardik Pandya led the charge with 2 for 16, including a maiden over. Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy also took two wickets each, both finishing with 2 for 17.
Pakistan were bowled out for 114 in 18 overs. The Indian players celebrated loudly as the victory was sealed.
With this result, India improved their T20 World Cup record against Pakistan to 8-1. They now enter the Super 8 phase with confidence.
After the match, Suryakumar Yadav said, “I think this is for India. We played the same brand of cricket as we wanted to play. Batting first was a better option on this wicket. We will go back, have a good time together as a team and then think about the other games when we take the flight to Ahmedabad.”
India will next take on the Netherlands, while Pakistan will take on Namibia. A loss to Pakistan in that match will almost certainly end their campaign.
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