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Pakistan teammates during the mid-innings break against India in the T20 World Cup clash in Colombo on February 15, 2026. PHOTO: REUTERS
COLOMBO:
Pakistan’s long-standing World Cup woes against India continued on Sunday as the team suffered a heavy 61-run defeat in a high-pressure Group A Twenty20 clash at the R Premadasa Stadium in the Sri Lankan capital.
Chasing a target of 176, Pakistan’s batting line-up collapsed to 114 in just 18 overs, with the top four batsmen failing to deliver under intense pressure.
The party, initially under threat of boycott after Pakistan expressed solidarity with Bangladesh over security concerns, was confirmed only last week following the ICC’s intervention.
The match rekindled the familiar intensity of the India-Pakistan rivalry, with Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav again refusing to shake Pakistan’s Salman Agha’s hand at the toss, repeating a pattern seen during last year’s Asia Cup.
Batting first on Pakistan’s invitation, India posted 175-7, largely thanks to opener Ishan Kishan’s impressive 40-ball 77, including three sixes and ten fours. Despite the early loss of Abhishek Sharma, who returned to the team after a stomach infection but fell to Agha, India bounced back thanks to the contributions of Suryakumar Yadav (32) and Shivam Dube (27). Pakistan spinner Saim Ayub offered resistance, removing Kishan, Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya in successive deliveries, momentarily slowing India’s momentum.
In response, Pakistan suffered an immediate and devastating collapse. Opener Sahibzada Farhan was dismissed for a duck by Pandya, followed by Saim Ayub and Salman Agha in the same over, reducing the team to 13-3. Babar Azam managed just five runs before falling to Axar Patel, leaving Pakistan reeling at 38-4 after the powerplay.
Usman Khan offered some resistance with 44 runs off 34 balls, hitting a six and a six four, but was eventually stumped by Kishan off Patel. A mini collapse followed, with Shadab Khan, Muhammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf and others falling cheaply, leaving Pakistan bowled out for 114.
Shaheen Shah Afridi was not left out on the 23rd, but the damage had already been done. Pandya, Bumrah, Patel and Varun Chakravarthy took two wickets each, and India’s bowlers consistently prevented Pakistan from recovering.
The defeat extends India’s World Cup dominance over Pakistan: India have now won eight of the nine T20 World Cup matches and all eight ODI World Cup matches between the rivals. Pakistan, who also lost all three Asia Cup matches against India last year, will now need to defeat Namibia in their final group match to maintain hopes of progressing.
Speaking after the match, Suryakumar Yadav reflected on Kishan’s performance: “I think this is for India. Batting first was the best option on this wicket. The way Ishan took the responsibility after the early loss of his opening partner was amazing.”
For Pakistan, captain Salman Agha said at the toss that the decision to bowl first was guided by the slightly sticky pitch, which he hoped would help the bowlers from the start. “It’s an important game, but everyone is relaxed and focused, and we’re looking forward to the challenge,” he said.
Matches between the cricketing neighbours, who are nuclear-armed rivals, are being held only at neutral venues in multinational tournaments, it having been more than 18 years since a Test match and 13 years since a bilateral series. This latest contest in Colombo once again captured global attention, combining sport, excitement and high stakes in equal measure.
(WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM AGENCIES)
