IND vs PAK

Indeed, that is an apt note to close things on tonight. We will see you again tomorrow with another triple-header at the T20 World Cup. For now, this is Sourabh Agrawal taking your leave on behalf of my co-commentators Pradeep and Bidipto Datta. Hope you enjoyed the coverage, we certainly enjoyed every bit of bringing it to you. See you soon!

Suryakumar Yadav (India captain): This is for India! We played the same brand of cricket which we wanted to play. Said at the toss as well that batting first was the better option on this wicket. The way Ishan batted, same way he has been batting recently, he took the game ahead.

(Was the plan to attack with the bat?) Not really. We wanted to play the same way we were playing. Ishan thought out of the box. After 0/1 there had to be someone taking responsibilty in the powerplay, he did that amazingly. We were way ahead in the powerplay. There was a little slump in the middle overs but that is the beauty of T20 cricket. The way Tilak, Shivam and Rinku batted was commendable

(Was 175 a good score?) difficult to tell while batting first. You never know whether there will be dew or wicket might play better under lights. We thought 175 was 15-20 above par, 155 would have been a very tight game. 175 was a very good score.

(Bowling plans) We followed the same thing we did when we played them the last time. Hardik took the new ball, Bumrah showed why he is right up there in the world and then everyione chipped in. Axar, Varun, Kuldeep and even Tilak as a matter of fact.

(Defending the title and going all the way) We will think about that tomorrow. We will regroup as a team, take the flight to Ahmedabad and then think about the next game

Salman Agha [Pakistan captain]: "(On the tactical assessment of the game) We backed our spinners because they’ve been outstanding over the last six months, but today the execution wasn’t quite there in key moments. In T20 cricket, if you lose three or four wickets in the powerplay, you’re immediately chasing the game, and that hurt us with the bat. We didn’t give ourselves the platform to go deep. (On the decision to bowl first and reading conditions) In the first innings, the surface felt a bit tacky and the ball was gripping, which influenced our thinking. However, the pitch actually played better in the second innings than expected. The difference was execution — we didn’t bowl according to the situation, and with the bat, we failed to apply ourselves long enough to stay in control of the chase. (On handling the occasion and emotions) In games of this magnitude, emotions are always high. We’ve played enough cricket to manage those moments better, and that’s something we need to address quickly. There’s no time to dwell — we have another crucial game in two days. (On the bigger picture and qualification hopes) If you look at the bigger picture, the tournament is still alive for us. We need to win the next match to secure qualification, and from there, it becomes a fresh start. The focus now shifts entirely to that challenge.

Ishan Kishan is the Player of the Match! Here's what he has to say: "(On his match-winning innings) The pitch wasn’t the easiest at the start, so it was about backing my strengths and keeping things simple. I focused on watching the ball closely, playing according to the field, and rotating strike as much as possible. The plan was to hit the gaps on a big ground and keep the scoreboard moving, knowing that a total around 160–170 would be very competitive. Thankfully, it all came together today. (On working on his off-side game) I’ve put in a lot of work on my off-side play, and that allows me to dictate where bowlers want to bowl. On a large outfield, finding gaps becomes crucial, so I concentrated on placement rather than forcing shots. It was about building the innings smartly rather than taking unnecessary risks. (On the pressure of India vs Pakistan) India versus Pakistan is always special and comes with immense expectation. It was an important game for us and for the country, so getting this win brings huge satisfaction and confidence. It gives us momentum going forward in the tournament, and now the focus is on maintaining that rhythm. (On the bowling effort early on) Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya were outstanding in the opening overs. Even though the pitch didn’t seem to offer much for pace when I was batting, they executed their plans beautifully. Bumrah’s control in any phase is invaluable, and Hardik stuck to the strategy perfectly, hitting tight areas and applying early pressure. It was a complete team performance on a big occasion.

10:16 PM local time and IST: MATCH SUMMARY

India (175/7 in 20 overs) beat Pakistan (114 all-out in 18 overs) by 61 runs

Ishan Kishan 77(40) | Hardik Pandya 2/16(3)
Usman Khan 44(34) | Saim Ayub 3/25(4)

No fuss at all, India are through to the Super 8s and have brushed aside the (lack of) challenge posed by Pakistan as they have done so often in the recent years

Many said that this is going to be the closest India-Pakistan game in the last few years owing to the conditions in Colombo but to be fair the game was done and dusted in the first 10 overs itself when Ishan Kishan put on a masterclass with the bat and scored a whirlwind 77 off just 40 balls, taking the wind out of the Pakistani sails

On the back of that, India got to 175 with crucial little 20s from Tilak, Surya and Shivam Dube. Saim Ayub did try to create a flutter in the middle with the ball but it was just a mere flutter and nothing more than that.

175 always looked over par in the slow conditions which assisted the spinners even in the first innings. Pakistan were at least expected to give it a great shot but as is their mercurial behavior they just surrendered with the bat and fell away brainlessly showcasing a stark difference between the two batting lineups. To cite an example, having lost both their openers inside the second over, Pakistan's leader Salman Agha tried to slog Bumrah, out of all people, in that over itself and gave away his wicket with a horrible shot.

Is an international captain expected to do that when the innings started with a wicket maiden? Ask anyone remotely related to cricket and the answer would be a thumping no. Babar Azam fell to another poor shot trying to slog across the spin against Axar and Pakistan were reduced to 34/4 inside the powerplay reducing their miniscule chances to virtually nil

It seemed as if Pakistan wanted to prove a point with the bat, they did not assess the conditions at all and just kept gifting wickets after wickets. That does not take anything away from the Indian bowling who, as a unit, showed why they are one of the best bowling attacks in the tournament.

It seemed as if Pakistan would not even get to triple figures but they somehow did surviving a Varun Chakaravarthy hat-trick, India did not even need a sixth bowler such was the difference in both the teams

17.6 Hardik Pandya to Usman Tariq, OUT! BOWLED HIM! That's it, all over for Pakistan. India thump Pakistan and progress into Super 8s in grand fashion. It's a comprehensive victory. Hardik says, I'll do it myself. Back of a length on the stumps, Tariq backed away and exposes his stumps, doesn't put bat on ball, through to rattle the stumps. India remain unbeaten in the Group A!

More frustration for Hardik, he straightaway signals for another fielder to be sent at long-on in place of Kuldeep. Two consecutive dropped catches, WELL!

17.2 Hardik Pandya to Shaheen Afridi, SIX! BANG! Now Kuldeep shells a sitter and tips it over the bar at wide long-on. Hardik is not happy one bit here. Banged in short into the batter, Shaheen pulled that one away. Kuldeep running to his left, was scared that he'll go over, spills it and goes over the ropes too.

17.1 Hardik Pandya to Shaheen Afridi, dances down the wicket, Shaheen went for the swipe and misses. Kishan doesn't collect neatly. That might be a dropped chance from Kishan as umpire doesn't signal that a wide.

17.1 Hardik Pandya to Shaheen Afridi, WIDE! Banged in short, tries to follow the batter as Shaheen backed away, but strays down the leg-side. Wide has been signaled.

So it goes into an 18th over, are Pakistan going to bat out their full quota? Shaheen has kept the strike with himself as Hardik Pandya [2.0-1-8-1] returns