Hyderabad: India defeated Pakistan by 61 runs in a high-voltage T20 World Cup clash in Colombo, sealing a Super 8 berth with their third straight win in Group A.
At the R. Premadasa Stadium, India produced an all-round performance to outclass their arch-rivals. With this victory in the T20 World Cup, India moved to the top of the group standings and confirmed qualification for the next stage.
Chasing 176, Pakistan faltered from the outset. Indian bowlers struck early and never allowed the chase to settle. Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah removed key batters in the power play. Pakistan slumped to 13 for 3 and struggled to recover. Usman Khan scored 44 in a lone effort. However, once he departed, the innings collapsed quickly. India bowled out Pakistan for 114 in 18 overs. Hardik, Bumrah, Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy claimed two wickets each, while Kuldeep Yadav and Tilak Varma took one apiece.
T20 World Cup win powered by all-round display
Earlier in the T20 World Cup match, India lost Abhishek Sharma for a duck after opting to bat. Ishan Kishan then launched a counterattack against the Pakistan bowlers. He smashed 77 off 40 balls, including 10 fours and three sixes.
Tilak Varma scored 25, while captain Suryakumar Yadav added 32. Hardik Pandya fell for a duck, which slowed the scoring briefly. However, Shivam Dube struck 27 off 17 balls, and Rinku Singh chipped in with 11 off four deliveries. India finished at 175 for 7 in 20 overs. For Pakistan, Saim Ayub picked up three wickets.
India will next face the Netherlands in their final Group A league match on February 18 in Ahmedabad.