{"id":5943,"date":"2026-02-16T03:35:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T03:35:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thefrontpage24.com\/?p=5943"},"modified":"2026-02-16T03:35:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T03:35:09","slug":"india-crush-pakistan-by-61-runs-to-storm-into-super-8s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thefrontpage24.com\/?p=5943","title":{"rendered":"India Crush Pakistan by 61 Runs to Storm into Super 8s"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ishan Kishan\u2019s sparkling 77 and a ruthless bowling display powered India to their eighth T20 World Cup win over arch-rivals Pakistan in a commanding Colombo showdown.<\/em><\/h4>\n

TFP Bureau, Colombo\/New Delhi, February 16, 2026: India delivered a dominant all-round performance to defeat Pakistan by 61 runs in a one-sided Group match of the ICC Men\u2019s T20 World Cup 2026<\/strong> at the iconic R. Premadasa Stadium<\/strong> on Sunday, sealing qualification for the Super 8 stage in emphatic fashion.<\/p>\n

Batting first after winning the toss, India posted a competitive 175 for 7 in their allotted 20 overs, riding on a fluent half-century from Ishan Kishan<\/strong>. Pakistan\u2019s chase never gathered momentum as the Indian bowlers struck at regular intervals, bundling out the rivals for 114 in 18 overs to register a comprehensive victory.<\/p>\n

India Recover After Early Jolt<\/h3>\n

India\u2019s innings began on an uneasy note with opener Abhishek Sharma<\/strong> dismissed for a duck in the very first over by Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha<\/strong>. However, Kishan counter-attacked brilliantly, stabilising the innings with confident stroke play.<\/p>\n

India reached 52 for 1 in the Powerplay, with Kishan racing to his half-century off just 27 balls. The left-hander went on to score 77 off 40 deliveries, striking 10 fours and three sixes, and anchoring the Indian innings through the middle overs.<\/p>\n

Contributions also came from captain Suryakumar Yadav<\/strong>, who chipped in with a steady 32, and Tilak Verma<\/strong>, who added 25. Shivam Dubey<\/strong> provided late impetus with a quick 27 before being run out, while Hardik Pandya<\/strong> fell cheaply attempting a big hit. India, however, ensured a strong finish to set Pakistan a stiff target of 176.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

For Pakistan, Saim Ayub<\/strong> was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets, while Shaheen Afridi<\/strong>, Usman Tariq<\/strong> and Salman Ali Agha claimed one wicket each.<\/p>\n

Pakistan Crumble Under Pressure<\/h3>\n

Pakistan\u2019s reply got off to a disastrous start as opener Sahibzada Farhan<\/strong> was dismissed without scoring in the first over by Hardik Pandya. The pressure intensified in the second over when Jasprit Bumrah<\/strong> struck twice, trapping Saim Ayub<\/strong>LBW and removing captain Salman Ali Agha soon after.<\/p>\n

Pakistan never recovered from the early blows. Star batter Babar Azam<\/strong> struggled to find fluency and was eventually dismissed by Axar Patel<\/strong>. Wicketkeeper-batter Usman Khan<\/strong> offered some resistance with 44 off 34 balls but also fell to Axar.<\/p>\n

The Indian spinners tightened the noose in the middle overs, with Varun Chakravarthy<\/strong> removing Faheem Ashraf and Abrar Ahmed off consecutive deliveries, narrowly missing a hat-trick. Kuldeep Yadav<\/strong> and Tilak Verma<\/strong> chipped in with crucial wickets, while Hardik Pandya returned to clean bowl Usman Tariq to bring the innings to a close.<\/p>\n

India\u2019s bowling effort was marked by discipline and variety, with Bumrah, Hardik, Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel picking up two wickets apiece to dismantle Pakistan\u2019s batting line-up.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Dominance in the Big Rivalry<\/h3>\n

With this victory, India extended their overwhelming dominance over Pakistan in T20 World Cup history. Of the nine matches played between the two arch-rivals in the tournament, India have now won eight, with Pakistan\u2019s only victory coming in the 2021 edition. The 61-run win in Colombo stands out as one of India\u2019s most commanding performances against Pakistan on the world stage.<\/p>\n

Road to the Super 8<\/h3>\n

India\u2019s march to the Super 8 has been marked by consistency and authority. Led by Suryakumar Yadav, India opened their campaign with a 29-run win over the United States, followed by a massive 93-run victory against Namibia. Sunday\u2019s triumph over Pakistan completed a perfect group-stage run.<\/p>\n

Pakistan, meanwhile, had started with a narrow win over the Netherlands and followed it up with a 32-run victory against the United States, but the heavy defeat against India has left them facing an uphill task in the tournament.<\/p>\n

Playing XIs<\/h3>\n

India:<\/strong> Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Verma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dubey, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah<\/p>\n

Pakistan:<\/strong> Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha (c), Babar Azam, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Usman Khan (wk), Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq<\/p>\n

Score:<\/strong>
\nIndia 175\/7 (20 overs)
\nPakistan 114 all out (18 overs)<\/p>\n

With confidence soaring and form peaking at the right time, India now head into the Super 8 stage as one of the strongest contenders for the title.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

India Crush Pakistan by 61 Runs to Storm into Super 8s<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5944,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[116,972,23,27],"tags":[973],"class_list":["post-5943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking-news","category-icc-world-cup-2026","category-international","category-national","tag-icc-mens-t20-world-cup-2026"],"yoast_head":"\nIndia Crush Pakistan by 61 Runs to Storm into Super 8s - thefrontpage24.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thefrontpage24.com\/?p=5943\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"India Crush Pakistan by 61 Runs to Storm into Super 8s - 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