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Pakistan teammates during the break between innings against India in the T20 World Cup match in Colombo February 15, 2026. PHOTO: REUTERS
COLOMBO:
Pakistan’s prolonged 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 all out in just 18 overs, with the top four batsmen failing to deliver under intense pressure.
The match, initially threatened with boycott after Pakistan expressed solidarity with Bangladesh over security concerns, was only confirmed last week after ICC intervention.
The match ignited the familiar intensity of the India-Pakistan rivalry, with Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav once again refusing to shake hands with Pakistan’s Salman Agha at the toss, repeating a pattern seen during last year’s Asia Cup.
Batting first at Pakistan’s invitation, Inden posted 175-7, largely thanks to opener Ishan Kishan’s blistering 77 off 40 balls, including three sixes and ten fours. Despite the early loss of Abhishek Sharma, who returned to the side after a stomach infection but fell for a duck to Agha, India recovered through contributions from Suryakumar Yadav (32) and Shivam Dube (27). Pakistan spinner Saim Ayub put up 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 38-4 after the powerplay.
Usman Khan put up some resistance with 44 runs off 34 balls, hitting a six and six fours, but was eventually stumped by Kishan off Patel. A mini-collapse ensued, with Shadab Khan, Muhammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf and others falling cheaply, leaving Pakistan out for 114.
Shaheen Shah Afridi did not remain out on the 23rd, but the damage was already done. Pandya, Bumrah, Patel and Varun Chakravarthy took two wickets each as India’s bowlers consistently prevented Pakistan from recovering.
The loss extends India’s World Cup dominance over Pakistan: India have now won eight out of nine T20 World Cup encounters and all eight ODI World Cup matches between the rivals. Pakistan, who had also lost all three Asia Cup encounters against India last year, will now need to defeat Namibia in their final group game to retain hopes of progressing.
After the match, Suryakumar Yadav reflected on Kishan’s performance: “I think this is for India. Batting first was the better option on this wicket. The way Ishan took charge after the early loss of his opening partner was fantastic.”
For Pakistan, captain Salman Agha said at the toss that the decision to bowl first was guided by the slightly tacky pitch, which he expected to help the bowlers early on. “It’s a big 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, only take place at neutral venues in multi-nation tournaments, with more than 18 years since a Test match and 13 years since a bilateral series. This latest competition in Colombo once again captured global attention and mixed sports, emotions and high stakes in equal measure.
(WITH INPUT FROM AGENCIES)
