India set a competitive target of 176 for Pakistan in their crucial Group A encounter of the T20 World Cup in Colombo, riding on a sensational knock from Ishan Kishan and a late flourish from the lower order.
Put in to bat first, India suffered an early setback as Abhishek Sharma was dismissed for a duck. However, Ishan Kishan counterattacked in stunning fashion, taking the Pakistan bowlers apart with a blistering innings. The left-hander smashed 77 runs off just 40 balls, helping India race past the 90-run mark within the first 10 overs.
Kishan’s aggressive stroke play kept the momentum firmly with India, but his dismissal triggered a slowdown in scoring. On a turning wicket in Colombo, Pakistan’s spinners tightened the screws and prevented India from accelerating freely in the middle overs.
Suryakumar Yadav played the anchor’s role, scoring a steady 32 off 29 balls to stabilize the innings. Hardik Pandya, however, endured a rare failure as he was dismissed for a duck. With the run rate dipping, Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh provided the much-needed late impetus, striking a few lusty blows in the death overs to push India to 175 for 7 at the end of 20 overs.
For Pakistan, Saim Ayub was the standout performer with the ball, claiming three important wickets. Mystery spinner Usman Tariq also impressed, conceding just 24 runs in his four overs while picking up a wicket, effectively exploiting the spin-friendly conditions.
With 176 required for victory, Pakistan now face a challenging chase in what promises to be a thrilling contest between the arch-rivals.