T20 World Cup: India secure dominant victory as Pakistan’s batting line-up collapses

India secured a commanding victory over arch-rivals Pakistan at Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium on Sunday, after Men in Green’s batting line-up crumbled in pursuit of a 176-run target, losing the match by 61 runs.

In response to India’s commanding total, Pakistan’s top order failed to fire. Key batters Saim Ayub, Salman Agha, and Babar Azam all failed to reach double digits, while Sahibzada Farhan was dismissed for a duck.

Usman Khan provided the notable resistance, scoring a spirited 44 off 34 balls, but his departure at the hands of Axar Patel effectively ended Pakistan’s hopes. Shaheen Afridi then scored 23 off 19 in a bid for face-saving. The remaining batting line-up offered little support, leading to a one-sided finish as the Green Shirts hardly reached 114.

Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy shared two wickets apiece.

Earlier, after Pakistan won the toss and elected to field, a blistering half-century from Ishan Kishan propelled India to a competitive total of 175. Kishan smashed 77 runs off just 40 deliveries, anchoring the innings following the early loss of Abhishek Sharma, who was dismissed for a duck by Salman Agha in the opening over.

India maintained an aggressive tempo throughout the powerplay, reaching 52/1. Captain Suryakumar Yadav played a vital supporting role, finishing with a composed 32 off 29 balls.

Saim Ayub was the standout performer with the ball for Pakistan, claiming figures of 3/25. His spell included the crucial wicket of Hardik Pandya, who was removed for a golden duck. Pakistan also introduced “trump card” spinner Usman Tariq late in the innings; he remained economical, conceding 24 runs in his four overs grabbing one wicket. However, the bowling effort was ultimately overshadowed by the batting collapse that followed.