A knockout punch in form of a half-century by Ishan Kishan and a collectively brilliant bowling performances helped India secure a 61-run win against Pakistan in the ICC T20 World Cup at Colombo on Sunday.
After a fantastic 77 from Ishan Kishan that took India to a fighting 175/7, two wickets each from Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah bundled out Pakistan for 114 in 18 overs. India stays on top with three wins in three matches in Group A, while Pakistan has sunk to number three with two wins and a loss, while USA currently occupies second place with two wins and two losses.
During the run-chase, Pakistan was off to a nigthmarish start as Sahibzada Farhan fell for a four-ball duck to Hardik Pandya, with Rinku Singh getting a top-edge, removing him for a four-ball duck.
In the next over, Jasprit Bumrah trapped Saim Ayub lbw for just six, while he also removed skipper Salman Ali Agha for four. Pakistan was 13/3 in two overs.
Babar Azam started off his innings slowly, while Usman Khan counter-attacked with two successive boundaries against Axar Patel in the fifth over. But the spin all-rounder had the last laugh, removing Babar for a seven-ball five, sinking Pakistan to 34/4.
Usman continued to relish Axar’s bowling, getting four boundaries off him, while Shadaba Khan also got some boundaries. Pakistan raced to the 50-run mark in 7.1 overs.
At the end of 10 overs, Pakistan was 71/4, with Usman (43) and Shadab (12) unbeaten. The partnership of 39 balls was broken by Axar as Ishan Kishan pulled off a brilliant stumping to remove Usman for 34-ball 44, with six fours and a six. Pakistan was five down at 73 in 10.4 overs.
Mohammed Nawaz (4) was caught by Shivam Dube, with Kuldeep getting the sixth wicket and Pakistan’s score was just 78 in 11.4 overs.
Pakistan’s downfall got even worse as Shadab (14) got dismissed by Tilak Varma, with Dube plucking another catch. Pakistan was 78/7 in 12.1 overs.
Rinku’s safe pair of hands gave Varun Chakravarthy his first wicket, removing Faheem Ashraf for a sluggish 14-ball 10. Pakistan sunk to 97/8 in 15.3 overs and on very next ball, Abrar Ahmed was trapped lbw for a golden duck. Pakistan was one wicket away from a humiliating loss.
However, Pakistan did get one moral win as they crossed the 100-run mark in 16.1 overs.
Hardik completed the win by cleaning up Usman, bundling out Pakistan for 114 runs in 18 overs.
Axar Patel (2/29 in four overs) was the pick of the bowlers for India, with Hardik Pandya (2/16 in three overs), Jasprit Bumrah (2/17 in two overs) and Varun Chakaravarthy (2/17 in three overs) also being amongst the wickets.
Earlier, Ishan Kishan’s blistering 77 helped India to post a challenging target of 176 runs against Pakistan in the Group A match. The Men in Blue, who posted 175/7, also scored the highest team total in the India-Pakistan ICC T20 World Cup match.
After being asked to bat first, India were off to the worst possible start, Pakistan captain Salman Agha removing the world number one T20I batter Abhishek Sharma for a four-ball duck on the last ball of the first over, leaving India at 0/1 after first over.
In the next over, wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma combined to hammer speedster Shaheen Afridi for 15 runs. After the end of the third over, the Men in Blue scored 25/1.
During the fifth over, Kishan then hammered 10 runs against spinner Abrar Ahmed, with a four and six each, as India made 41/1. At the end of the first power play, India was 52/1.
In the very next over, Kishan slammed three consecutive boundaries to Abrar. The wicketkeeper-batter also completed his half-century in 27 deliveries. Kishan also registered the third fastest in the India-Pakistan T20I match. Ahead of him were Abhishek Sharma (24) and Pakistan’s Mohammad Hafeez (23).
During the fourth ball of the ninth over, Pakistan’s Saim Ayub got the much-needed breakthrough for his side. Ayub dismissed dangerous Kishan for 77 off 40 deliveries, including 10 fours and three sixes. Ayub also broke the 87-run stand between Kishan and Tilak for the second wicket. India was 88/2 in 8.4 overs.
Kishan’s 77 was also the third-highest individual score in India-Pakistan T20I matches. Ahead of Kishan are Virat Kohli (78), Mohammad Rizwan (79), and Kohli (82*). At the end of the 10th over, India was in a good position at 92/2.
After Kishan’s wicket, captain Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak steadied India’s ship as they touched the 100-run mark in 11.1 overs and they reached 125/2 in 14 overs.
However, Pakistan made a comeback during the 15th over, wherein Ayub removed Varma for 25 off 24 balls, with two fours and one six. India was 126/3 in 14.2 overs.
On the very next delivery, the off-spinner dismissed Hardik Pandya for the golden duck after the right-handed batter attempted a big shot. India slumped to 126/4. After the end of the 17th over, India reached 140/4.
During the 18th over, Abrar conceded 14 runs as India took their total to 154/4. During the fifth ball of the 19th over, Usman Tariq dismissed captain Suryakumar for 32 runs off 29 deliveries, including three fours. India was 159/5 in 18.5 overs.
Shaheen Afridi, who bowled the 20th over of India’s innings, conceded 16 runs as India posted a challenging total of 175/7 in 20 overs.
For Pakistan, Saim Ayub took a three-wicket haul (3/25). Usman Tariq (1/24), Shaheen Afridi (1/31), and captain Salman Agha (1/10) were also among the wicket-takers.
Brief Scores: India: 175/7 (Ishan Kishan 77, Suryakumar Yadav 32, Saim Ayub 3/25) against Pakistan: 114 (Usman Khan 44, Shaheen Afridi 23*, Axar Patel 2/29). (ANI)
