Indian T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav dedicated his commanding 61-run victory over Pakistan to the entire nation as India booked their place in the Super Eight of the T20 World Cup on Sunday. This win also marks his fourth victory over Pakistan as India’s captain.
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Despite knowing Sri Lanka’s conditions, Pakistan fell apart when it mattered most at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. India’s comprehensive victory extended their dominance over their arch-rivals, with Suryakumar remaining unbeaten as captain against Pakistan in their fourth straight win.
“I think it’s for India,” Suryakumar said after the match. “But yes, we played the same brand of cricket we wanted to play. I told you that at the toss as well. I think batting first was better on that wicket and the way Ishan batted – the way he has batted in the last few matches and also at home – he batted the same way and got the team ahead.”
ISHAN KISHAN SETS THE TONE
Ishan Kishan produced one of the most entertaining knocks of the T20Is Indian batter, mixing raw power with silky smoothness on the challenging Premadasa pitch. His breathtaking 77 from just 40 balls took India to a competitive 175 for seven after being asked to bat first.
After a loss Abhishek Sharma for a duck in the very first over, Kishan took charge in spectacular fashion. “Not really. We wanted to play the way we played,” Suryakumar said when asked if the early wicket changed their approach. “I think Ishan thought outside the box. After 0-1 there had to be someone to take responsibility in the power play and the way he took that responsibility I think it was amazing.”
Contributions from Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh helped India recover from a mid-innings slump. “There was a bit of a slump between overs 7 to 15 but that’s the beauty of T20 cricket and the way Tilak, Shivam and Rinku batted, I think it was commendable,” the skipper added.
BUMRAH, PAKISTAN IS TEARING
The quest never reached Pakistan. Hardik Pandya struck in the first hope before Jasprit Bumrah took on the Pakistani batting. Saim Ayub fell to a devilish in-swinging yorker while skipper Salman Ali Agha took a tame back to mid-wicket.
Pakistan slumped to 13 for three, soon becoming 34 for four after Babar Azam horribly bowled Axar Patel.
The Indian spinners then completed the journey, with Kuldeep Yadav, Axar, Tilak Varma and Varun Chakravarthy keeping Pakistan under an unbreakable spell through the middle overs.
“No, I think we went the same way as before when we played them,” explained Suryakumar. “Hardik took the new ball, took the lead from the first ball, then Bumrah came – what he does best, showed the world why he is the best bowler in the world. And then Varun, Kuldeep, Axar and actually Tilak came and played. I think it was great to see everyone contribute.”
With a Super Eight spot secured, India will fly to Ahmedabad tomorrow to prepare for their next challenge in the tournament.
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Issued by:
Amar Panicker
Published on:
February 15, 2026