India successfully defended a target of 176, leaving Pakistan reeling at 34/4 within the Powerplay - a collapse from which they never truly looked like recovering.
The Ishan Kishan Show
Earlier in the evening, after being put into bat, India got off to a flyer thanks to a "supersonic" half-century from Ishan Kishan. While opening partner Abhishek Sharma fell for a duck in the very first over, Kishan seemed to be playing on a different surface. His 77 off just 40 balls laid a massive foundation, at one point making a 200-plus total look like a certainty.However, Pakistan’s Saim Ayub had other plans. Turning into a literal game-changer with the ball, Ayub’s 3-wicket haul (including the prized scalps of Kishan, Tilak Varma, and Hardik Pandya) throttled India’s momentum.
"The ball was turning square," noted observers as India’s middle order struggled to navigate the "tacky" Premadasa pitch. Late fireworks from Shivam Dube (27) and Rinku Singh eventually pushed India to a competitive 175/7.
The Powerplay Carnage
If Pakistan felt they had the momentum going into the chase, it evaporated in the span of six deliveries. Hardik Pandya opened the attack and immediately removed Sahibzada Farhan for a duck.Then came the Jasprit Bumrah masterclass. In a single over, the pace spearhead dismantled the top order, bowling a lethal yorker to remove Saim Ayub before inducing a mistimed shot from Salman Agha. When Axar Patel clean-bowled Babar Azam for just 5, the stadium—packed with 18,000 Indian fans—erupted. Pakistan stood at 34/4, and the required run rate began its steady climb toward the impossible.
| Player | Performance | Key Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Ishan Kishan | 77 (40) | Set the aggressive tone early on. |
| Saim Ayub | 3/25 (4 overs) | Kept Pakistan in the game during the first innings. |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 2 wickets in 1 over | Broke the back of the Pakistani chase. |
| Axar Patel | Clean-bowled Babar | The final nail in the top-order coffin. |
A Rivalry Defined by Pressure
The tension wasn’t restricted to the scoreboard. In a break from tradition that mirrored recent Asia Cup encounters, captains Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Ali Agha notably avoided the customary handshake at the toss—a sign of the simmering intensity between the two camps.For India, this victory virtually guarantees a spot in the Super Eights, maintaining their historical 7-1 dominance over Pakistan in T20 World Cups. For Pakistan, the road ahead becomes a steep climb, requiring them to find answers for a middle-order tempo that continues to invite scrutiny.
As the blue flags wave high across Colombo tonight, one thing is clear: on the world stage, India still holds the psychological edge in this historic feud.