New Delhi, February 15 – Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar praised India's overall performance after the co-hosts of the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, India, defeated Pakistan by 61 runs at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday.
Ishan Kishan was the standout performer, scoring 77 off 40 balls with 10 fours and three sixes, while Saim Ayub's skillful bowling of 3-25 kept Pakistan in the game.
Kishan's impressive performance at the top gave India the advantage to control the middle overs. Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav added 57 off 53 balls to help India set a target of 176.
"The Power-play was where India gained control of the game. Ishan Kishan's performance in the first innings, and the excellent bowling we saw in the second innings, made all the difference. We were always in control. India played exceptionally well tonight!" Tendulkar posted on X.
India's dominance began from the first over, as Hardik Pandya dismissed Shahibzada Farhan with a well-pitched delivery.
Jasprit Bumrah then followed up with two wickets in his opening over. After conceding a six in the first delivery, Bumrah bowled a deceptive inswinging yorker to get rid of Ayub and then dismissed captain Salman Agha in the last over.
Usman Khan, who batted as a wicketkeeper, was the only significant contributor for Pakistan, scoring 44 and forming partnerships of 21 runs with Babar Azam and 39 runs with Shadab Khan. The middle order completely faltered for Pakistan, while India dominated. Axar Patel dismissed Azam (5) and then Khan with a slow-paced delivery.
Kuldeep Yadav dismissed Mohammad Nawaz, while Tilak Varma, bowling for the first time in the tournament, got Shadab Khan's wicket. The lower order completely collapsed as Pakistan lost their last five wickets for just 41 runs.
Pandya, Chakravarthy, Bumrah, Kuldeep, and Axar Patel each took two wickets, leading India to a 61-run victory.
