Ishan Kishan scored 77 off 40 balls and Saim Ayub took 3-25 as India thrashed Pakistan by 61 runs in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 at Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
After the captains did not shake hands at the toss, Pakistan were bowled out for 114 as part of a result that sent the defending champions to the Super 8s.
Pakistan must beat Namibia, who have lost all three of their matches, on Wednesday to guarantee their place in the Super 8s.
Ishan Kishan ‘took responsibility’ for India
Victorious captain Suryakumar Yadav said his side’s win was “for India”. “We’ll go back and have a good time,” added Yadav.
“The way Ishan Kishan batted is the same as he did in our previous games and on the domestic circuit: Ishan thought outside the box and took responsibility in the powerplay.
“As soon as we got 175, we thought we were 20 runs above par. We were taking chances from ball one.
“Jasprit Bumrah [who took two wickets] showed why he is the best bowler in the world. It was great to see everyone contributing.”
T20 World Cup: Why there were tensions around India vs Pakistan?
Pakistan had threatened to boycott the match in solidarity with Bangladesh, who were replaced by Scotland at the tournament because they had refused to tour India over safety concerns.
Broadcasters “panicked” at the prospect of losing millions of dollars in advertising revenue, according to Reuters, who reported that the International Cricket Council (ICC) held “hectic behind-the-scenes parleys” and reached a compromise to ensure the most anticipated match of the tournament went ahead.
“India v Pakistan is a special game for us and our country,” said Kishan. “It is a very important game. They had good spinners and we tried to play good shots. It gives us confidence going ahead in the tournament.”
Salman Agha on how powerplay ‘cost’ Pakistan
Pakistan captain Salman Agha acknowledged his spinners had an “off day”. “We always believe in them because they have done well in the last six months,” said Agha.
“In the first innings it was tacky and the ball was gripping, but the execution was missing. Then with our batting, we lost wickets and the powerplay and that cost us.
“We didn’t apply ourselves to go deep into the game. I actually thought the pitch was better for batting in the second innings.
“In these games, the emotions are going to be high but we have played enough cricket. We need to get ourselves together and look to the game in a few days’ times.
“You have to see the big picture. We need to qualify for the Super 8s now.”
India vs Pakistan teams
India: Ishan Kishan (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah
Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha (c), Babar Azam, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Tariq, Abrar Ahmed
What’s next for these teams? India, Pakistan T20 cricket World Cup fixtures
India are next in World Cup action against the Netherlands on Wednesday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad (13:30 GMT).
Pakistan take on Namibia on the same day at 09:30 at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo.
India ICC T20 World Cup 2026 squad
Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh
Pakistan ICC T20 World Cup 2026 squad
Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wk), Usman Tariq
