IND Vs PAK, T20 World Cup 2026: Five Talking Points As India Thrash Pakistan In Colombo

IND vs PAK, T20 World Cup 2026: India delivered a memorable performance on Sunday, thrashing Pakistan by 61 runs in the group-stage match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

Sent to bat first under tough conditions, an Ishan Kishan-led batting charge fired India to a record total of 175/7. In response, Pakistan could only manage 114 before being bowled out by a superb bowling attack headlined by Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah.

In many ways, this was the perfect win for India, who now top Group A with a 100% record. Even though there was no Dhurandhar song in the pre-match show, Indian fans couldn’t have asked for a better outing.

With this, India continued their domination over their arch-rivals in ICC tournaments. In the T20 World Cup, the head-to-head record stands at 8-1. As the Indian fans celebrate this win, let’s look at the five talking points from the India vs Pakistan match on Sunday.

Pakistan’s Early Joy Against Abhishek

A lot of India’s pre-match team news centred on whether Abhishek Sharma will feature against Pakistan. The 25-year-old remains the No. 1 batter in the T20I rankings, and his absence due to stomach illness was a big blow for Gautam Gambhir’s batting line-up. However, captain Suryakumar Yadav calmed everyone’s nerves by confirming that Abhishek would indeed turn up against Pakistan.

Not that it mattered much in the end. Abhishek was dismissed for a four-ball duck in the very first over, with Salman Ali Agha picking up the wicket. It was a really cheap wicket to give away too, with Abhishek hitting a weak shot towards Shaheen Shah Afridi inside the circle.

That early setback – vindicating Agha’s bold gamble to open the bowling himself – sent the Pakistani fans into elation. It could have led to a total collapse for India, but for Ishan Kishan’s masterclass performance that followed. The result? The next wicket for Pakistan wouldn’t come before the ninth over.

Ishan Kishan: A Class Apart

Sunday’s match – at least the first innings – could easily be termed the Ishan Kishan show. Playing on a Colombo surface that gave very little assistance to the batters, Kishan took charge under difficult circumstances to rescue India from the tough spot early on.

The batter smashed his way to a 27-ball fifty – the fastest in an India-Pakistan T20 World Cup match. By the time he was bowled by Saim Ayub, he had made 77 off just 40 balls, including ten fours and three sixes.

At that time, India were at 88/2, which means that Kishan had made 87.5% of his team’s runs.

Saim Overshadows Tariq In Spin Show

Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha put all his eggs in the metaphorical spin basket for this match. The Green Shirts fielded a playing XI that featured six spinners, who bowled a combined 18 overs – both tournament records.

The poster boy of Pakistan’s spin attack was undoubtedly Usman Tariq. The mystery spinner was in the news for his rather funny bowling action, and he was hyped up as Pakistan’s trump card to counter the Indian batters.

In the end, it was Saim Ayub who turned out to be the most effective spinner. In his four overs, Ayub picked up three wickets for 25 runs. Those wickets were Kishan (77), Tilak Varma (25), and Hardik Pandya (0).

Pandya, Bumrah Make Surface Irrelevant

Much like Pakistan, India, too, had fielded a spin-heavy playing XI. But in the end, it was their two seam options – Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah – who dismantled the Pakistani batting order.

Pandya, having disappointed with the bat, struck with the ball in the first over, dismissing Sahibzada Farhan for a duck. Bumrah then showed the world why he is the best white-ball bowler, taking two wickets in the second over – Ayub (6) and Agha (4). Pandya got his second at the death, taking the scalp of Tariq.

Pandya and Bumrah finished with figures of 2/16 and 2/17, respectively. They were aided by Axar Patel and Varun Chakaravarthy, who took two wickets apiece. Kuldeep Yadav and Tilak also picked up wickets.

Tale of Two Powerplays For India

Yesterday’s match was won (and lost, from Pakistan’s perspective) in the two powerplays. India lost their first wicket in the fourth delivery, but then, Kishan’s carnage meant that India finished their powerplay at 52/1.

Pakistan needed something similar of their own if they wanted to chase down the target of 176 – the highest ever seen in an India-Pakistan T20 World Cup match. Instead, they could manage just 38 runs in six overs.

Crucially, they had lost four wickets in that time, with Farhan, Ayub, Agha, and Babar Azam all returning to the dugout. Pandya-Bumrah’s storm in the opening stage meant that the game was done and dusted by that point, despite some late pressure by Usman Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi.