A massive win for Team India, the defending champion of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2026. And for the Pakistan cricket team, it is another heartbreaking moment for them. India won the match by 61 runs, with Ishan Kishan as the best performer of the game.
Ishan Kishan is named as the Man of the Match. He deserved the award. The keeper-batter almost single-handedly carried the team, especially during the powerplays, when Team India was reduced by one wicket. The opener scored 77 off 40 with ten 4s and three 6s.
Ishan kept faith on skills and strengths
India was in trouble when Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha dismissed Abhishek Sharma for a duck. It could have been a devastating moment for the Men in Blue, but Ishan Kishan was there to repair the damage. He not only helped the team to sustain the early blow but also took the team for a flying start under overcast weather.
After the match, Ishan shared that the pitch was not easy to bat on and scored runs at a quick pace. But he did not lose trust in his skills and strengths and continued to score runs. The southpaw informed us that he polished his batting more during the net sessions. He grew more confident while making shots on the off-side. That was the visible result of his hard work at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on February 15.
“I think the wicket wasn’t that easy in the beginning. You just have to believe and focus on your strength. Wanted to make them run as much as possible to my side. I worked a lot on my offside play. I was just trying to keep it simple,” Ishant Kishan said during the post-match presentation ceremony.
Vowed t continue the momentum
Backed by Ishan’s 77, Team India registered 175 runs in exchange for 7 wickets in 20 overs. In modern cricket, a target below 180 is often considered a chaseable total. But Ishan knew that the pitch would make the Pakistan batters toil hard in front of a total of 170.
He also believed that the massive win over the arch rivals will boost up their confidence, which will help them in the upcoming matches of the tournament. The batter vowed that they will try their best to carry the moment for the rest of the title race.
“I had in mind that we need to put up a total like 160-170 runs, and it will be a very good total for us. India v Pakistan is always a special game, not only for us but for our country as well. So we had to win this one because it was a very important game, and they had pretty good spinners on their side, and we were just supposed to play the good shots, and yeah, winning this against the Pakistan team… it will give us a lot of confidence going ahead in the tournament, and we’ll try to just keep the momentum going,” he added.
Ishan Kishan praised Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah
Ishan also praised Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah for their bowling efforts. The combination of Bumrah and Pandya with the new ball claimed three top-order wickets of Pakistan’s batting lineup. Bumrah took the wickets of Saim Ayub and captain Salman Ali Agha, while Hardik dismissed Sahibzada Farhan and later, Usman Tariq.
“I think they bowled tremendously well. Pace bowlers… when I was batting and Shaheen was bowling, I didn’t feel like the ball was doing much for the pace bowlers. But at the same time, looking at them (India’s new ball bowlers) bowl two beautiful overs,” Ishan Kishan explained.
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