IND vs PAK: India secured a solid 61-run victory over Pakistan at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. This clash took place during the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 group stage. India put up a strong total of 175. Ishan Kishan then tore through the bowling attack with a quick-fire 77 off only 40 balls.
His performance left the other side reeling from the start. Meanwhile, Pakistan struggled to build any real partnerships against a relentless Indian bowling unit. They ultimately fell apart for a low 114 in 18 overs. This result puts the national team in a tough spot. They must now beat Namibia to keep any hope of moving forward.
Post-Match insights from Ishan Kishan on the IND vs PAK ICC T20 World Cup 2026 game
After the game, Ishan Kishan talked about how differently the two bowling sides performed. He pointed out that the ball didn’t do much while Shaheen Afridi bowled at the start. It looked like the seamers weren’t getting any help from the surface during those first few overs.
Kishan was mostly surprised by how things flipped during India’s bowling. Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya sparked the comeback during that stretch. He credited the pinpoint accuracy his teammates showed for changing the game. It was as if the Indian duo found life in a deck that everyone else thought was dead.
“When Shaheen was bowling, I didn’t feel like the ball was doing much for the pacers, but how Bumrah and Hardik bowled in those two overs was incredible”, said Ishan Kishan in the post-match presentation.
A shift in momentum as soon as Shaheen Afridi bowled
India lost the wicket of Abhishek Sharma in the first over itself as captain Salman Ali Agha bowled a brilliant over to give away just a solitary run. However, the pressure straightaway shifted on the first ball of the second over, when Ishan Kishan smacked Shaheen Afridi for a big six on a short delivery.
Afridi gave away 15 runs in that over courtesy of a six and four from Ishan Kishan, and a boundary from Tilak Varma. Shaheen came back in the final over once again and conceded 16 runs, courtesy of a boundary from Shivam Dube, along with a boundary and a six from Rinku Singh.
