Inside India vs Pakistan Drama: Who Blinks First? | FIFA World Cup T20 2026 Explainer
“We played the same brand of cricket we wanted to play. Batting first was better on this wicket. Ishan came up with something. After 0/1 someone had to take responsibility and the way he took it was amazing.”The decisive moment came at the top when Ishan Kishan unleashed a breathtaking 77 off 40 balls, including 10 fours and three sixes, to keep India firmly in control. Tilak Varma (25) and Suryakumar Yadav (32) added vital support to ensure India reached 175/7 despite a challenging surface. Shivam Dube’s quickfire 27 in the dying overs pushed the total to a competitive 176.Pakistan’s response never gained traction. Hardik Pandya struck in the first over and dismissed Sahibzad Farhan for a four-ball duck. Jasprit Bumrah then tore through the top order to send Saim Ayub and captain Salman Agha back to the pavilion in two overs. Usman Khan offered resistance with a fluent 44, stitching a smaller partnership with Babar Azam and Shadab Khan, but his stumble to Axar Patel ended any faint hopes of a comeback.The Indian bowlers were relentless in unison. Kuldeep Yadav trapped Mohammad Nawaz, Tilak Varma removed Shadab Khan and Varun Chakaravarthy added two late wickets. Pandya, after seeing several catches fall off his bowling, secured the final over by knocking down Usman Tariq’s middle stump. Pakistan’s innings were bowled out for 114 in just 18 overs, their third-lowest T20 World Cup total.βIt was great to see everyone contribute with the ball,β Surya said. “We will come back, enjoy it together as a team and then think about the next matches when we fly to Ahmedabad,” he said.