COLOMBO: Pakistan once again failed to meet the nation’s expectations, as they suffered a 61-run defeat at the hands of India in a crucial ICC T20 World Cup group stage match.
The loss has left Pakistani fans disappointed, as the team was unable to chase down India’s total of 175 runs at the P. Sara Oval in Colombo. With this defeat, India advances to the Super 8s, while Pakistan faces an uphill battle to stay in the tournament.
Pakistan’s captain, Salman Agha, won the toss and chose to bowl first. India, despite a shaky start with opener Abhishek Sharma dismissed for a duck in the first over, managed to post a total of 175/7 in their 20 overs. Ishan Kishan was the star for India, scoring 77 runs off 40 balls before being bowled out by Saeem Ayub.
Pakistan’s bowlers, led by Ayub, kept the pressure on, with Ayub claiming 3 wickets for 27 runs. He dismissed Tilak Varma for 25 and Hardik Pandya for a duck. Other wickets were taken by Shaheen Afridi, Usman Tariq, and Salman Agha, while Pakistan also managed one run-out.
Chasing 176, Pakistan’s batting faltered. Usman Khan top-scored with 44 runs, but no other batsman could build significant partnerships. Shadab Khan (14) and Faheem Ashraf (10) contributed, but Pakistan was bowled out for just 114 runs in 18 overs.
India’s bowlers dominated, with Hardik Pandya, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, and Axar Patel each claiming two wickets. Tilak Varma and Kuldeep Yadav took one wicket apiece.
Pakistan made no changes to their playing XI, which included Saeem Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, and Usman Tariq. India made two changes, bringing in Abhishek Sharma and Kuldeep Yadav.
The defeat leaves Pakistan with a tough road ahead, while India secures a place in the Super 8s with an impressive all-round performance.
