114/10 (18.0)
CRR : 6.33
175/7 (20.0)
CRR : 8.75
India won by 61 runs 🏆
Player of the Match
Player
77(40)
Ishan Kishan (POTM): "(About his batting, stroke play) 100%! I think the wicket was not that easy for batting at the beginning. But sometimes you have to believe what you want to play and what shots are on. You have to focus on your strengths. So, I was just keeping it simple. I was watching the ball and playing the field, making them run as much as possible. I think it worked pretty well on my side.
(About his knock and the areas of improvement he has made) I think I did work a lot on my off side game. So then I can have them bowl where I want them to bowl. It is a big boundary. When it is a bigger ground, you get bigger gaps. Trying to hit the gaps, trying to take two runs. Knew we had to put up a total like 160-170, which would be a good total for us. I had that it in my mind.
(About the win in the India vs Pakistan game) 100%! Always, an India vs Pakistan game is special not only for us but also for everyone in the country. So we had to win this one because it was a very important game and they had pretty good spinners on their side, and we were just supposed to play the good shots, and yeah, winning this against the Pakistan team. It will give us a lot of confidence moving ahead in the tournament. We will try to keep the momentum going.
(About Hardik and Bumrah bowling up front) I think they bowled tremendously well. Pace bowlers, when I was batting, and Shaheen was bowling, I didn't feel like the ball was doing much for the pace bowlers. At the same time, looking at them (Pandya and Bumrah) bowl two beautiful overs up front. It was a plus point for us. We know how Jassi (Jasprit Bumrah) can bowl! Be it with the new ball or at the death. Credit goes to Hardik Pandya for keeping it in the tight areas, bowling what we planned before the game and executing his plans pretty well. Thank you so much!"
(About his knock and the areas of improvement he has made) I think I did work a lot on my off side game. So then I can have them bowl where I want them to bowl. It is a big boundary. When it is a bigger ground, you get bigger gaps. Trying to hit the gaps, trying to take two runs. Knew we had to put up a total like 160-170, which would be a good total for us. I had that it in my mind.
(About the win in the India vs Pakistan game) 100%! Always, an India vs Pakistan game is special not only for us but also for everyone in the country. So we had to win this one because it was a very important game and they had pretty good spinners on their side, and we were just supposed to play the good shots, and yeah, winning this against the Pakistan team. It will give us a lot of confidence moving ahead in the tournament. We will try to keep the momentum going.
(About Hardik and Bumrah bowling up front) I think they bowled tremendously well. Pace bowlers, when I was batting, and Shaheen was bowling, I didn't feel like the ball was doing much for the pace bowlers. At the same time, looking at them (Pandya and Bumrah) bowl two beautiful overs up front. It was a plus point for us. We know how Jassi (Jasprit Bumrah) can bowl! Be it with the new ball or at the death. Credit goes to Hardik Pandya for keeping it in the tight areas, bowling what we planned before the game and executing his plans pretty well. Thank you so much!"
👉 Ishan Kishan is the first Indian Wicket-Keeper to win the Player of the Match Award in T20 WCs.
Most Player of the Match Award as Wicket-Keeper for India in T20Is:
3 - Sanju Samson
2 - Ishan Kishan*
1 - Dinesh Karthik, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant
3 - Sanju Samson
2 - Ishan Kishan*
1 - Dinesh Karthik, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant
Most Consecutive Wins in Men’s T20 World Cup:
11* – India (2024-Present)*
8 – South Africa (2024)
8 – Australia (2022–2024)
7 – India (2012–2014)
11* – India (2024-Present)*
8 – South Africa (2024)
8 – Australia (2022–2024)
7 – India (2012–2014)
Most wins against a single opposition in T20 World Cups:
8* – India vs Pakistan
6 – Australia vs Bangladesh
6 – Pakistan vs Bangladesh
6 – Sri Lanka vs West Indies
6 – West Indies vs England
8* – India vs Pakistan
6 – Australia vs Bangladesh
6 – Pakistan vs Bangladesh
6 – Sri Lanka vs West Indies
6 – West Indies vs England
Salman Ali Agha (Pakistan Captain): (On the tactical assessment of the loss) “I think we continued to believe in our spinners, and they probably had an off day today. The execution was missing in certain phases of the game. That said, we’ll always back our spinners because they’ve performed really well over the last six months. With the bat, we simply didn’t start well. In T20 cricket, if you lose three or four wickets in the powerplay, you’re always chasing the game from there.
(On the decision-making around batting second) To be very honest, the pitch in the first innings felt a bit tacky, and the ball was gripping. From that point of view, the execution with the ball was not quite there. I actually felt the surface played better in the second innings, but we didn’t bowl according to the demands of the situation. From a batting perspective, we didn’t apply ourselves well enough and didn’t give ourselves a chance to go deep into the contest.
(On handling emotions in a high-pressure match) In games like these, emotions are naturally high. We’ve played enough cricket and enough big matches to understand that. The key for us now is to regroup very quickly because we have another important game in two days’ time. Our focus has to shift forward.
(On the bigger picture in the tournament) This certainly isn’t the end for us. We still have a crucial game coming up, which we need to win to qualify for the Super Eights. After that, it’s almost like starting a new tournament again. The mindset is to move on quickly and stay positive.”
(On the decision-making around batting second) To be very honest, the pitch in the first innings felt a bit tacky, and the ball was gripping. From that point of view, the execution with the ball was not quite there. I actually felt the surface played better in the second innings, but we didn’t bowl according to the demands of the situation. From a batting perspective, we didn’t apply ourselves well enough and didn’t give ourselves a chance to go deep into the contest.
(On handling emotions in a high-pressure match) In games like these, emotions are naturally high. We’ve played enough cricket and enough big matches to understand that. The key for us now is to regroup very quickly because we have another important game in two days’ time. Our focus has to shift forward.
(On the bigger picture in the tournament) This certainly isn’t the end for us. We still have a crucial game coming up, which we need to win to qualify for the Super Eights. After that, it’s almost like starting a new tournament again. The mindset is to move on quickly and stay positive.”
Suryakumar Yadav (India Captain): "(About the win) I think this is for India (smiles).
(On Ishan Kishan's batting approach) We played the same brand of cricket that we wanted to play. As I said at the toss, batting first was a better option on this wicket. The way Ishan Kishan batted tonight and has been batting in recent times has been amazing. He batted the same way in domestic cricket as well, and tonight, he took the game away from them, keeping us ahead.
(Speaking about the mindset and approach of the team and overall batting) Not really! We wanted to play the same way we have been playing. Ishan thought out of the box. After being 0/1, someone had to take the responsibility. The way Kishan took the responsibility in the powerplay was good to see. Then we had a bit of a slump in the middle overs between 7-15, but that is the beauty of T20 cricket. But then the way Tilak, Shivam and Rinku batted was commendable to see.
(About 175 being a good score, and whether it was par?) See, it is difficult to say while batting first with an uncertainty about the dew and the pitch might get better for batting under the lights. As soon as we reached 175, I thought that we are 15-20 runs above par. I think 155 would have been a very tight game. I think 175 was a very good score.
(On bowling, starting with Pandya) We did the same thing that we did earlier while playing with them. Hardik took the new ball, leading the charge. Bumrah then showed why he is the best in the world. Axar, Varun, Kuldeep and Tilak all contributed. It was great to see everyone contributing.
(About next game) We will think about it tomorrow. First, we will get together, have a good time, and celebrate this win. We will take the flight tomorrow for Ahmedabad and then think about the next game."
(On Ishan Kishan's batting approach) We played the same brand of cricket that we wanted to play. As I said at the toss, batting first was a better option on this wicket. The way Ishan Kishan batted tonight and has been batting in recent times has been amazing. He batted the same way in domestic cricket as well, and tonight, he took the game away from them, keeping us ahead.
(Speaking about the mindset and approach of the team and overall batting) Not really! We wanted to play the same way we have been playing. Ishan thought out of the box. After being 0/1, someone had to take the responsibility. The way Kishan took the responsibility in the powerplay was good to see. Then we had a bit of a slump in the middle overs between 7-15, but that is the beauty of T20 cricket. But then the way Tilak, Shivam and Rinku batted was commendable to see.
(About 175 being a good score, and whether it was par?) See, it is difficult to say while batting first with an uncertainty about the dew and the pitch might get better for batting under the lights. As soon as we reached 175, I thought that we are 15-20 runs above par. I think 155 would have been a very tight game. I think 175 was a very good score.
(On bowling, starting with Pandya) We did the same thing that we did earlier while playing with them. Hardik took the new ball, leading the charge. Bumrah then showed why he is the best in the world. Axar, Varun, Kuldeep and Tilak all contributed. It was great to see everyone contributing.
(About next game) We will think about it tomorrow. First, we will get together, have a good time, and celebrate this win. We will take the flight tomorrow for Ahmedabad and then think about the next game."
Most consecutive wins in ICC White-Ball Tournaments:
16 – India (2024–Present*)
15 – Australia (2006–2007)
14 – Australia (2023–2024)
16 – India (2024–Present*)
15 – Australia (2006–2007)
14 – Australia (2023–2024)
Indian Wicket-Keepers to win Player of the Match Awards in ICC White-Ball Tournaments:
Farokh Engineer vs East Africa, Leeds, 1975 (ODI WC)
MS Dhoni vs Sri Lanka, Mumbai (Wankhede), 2011 (ODI WC)
KL Rahul vs Australia, Chennai, 2023 (ODI WC)
Ishan Kishan vs Pakistan, Colombo (RPS), 2026, Tonight* (T20 WC)
Farokh Engineer vs East Africa, Leeds, 1975 (ODI WC)
MS Dhoni vs Sri Lanka, Mumbai (Wankhede), 2011 (ODI WC)
KL Rahul vs Australia, Chennai, 2023 (ODI WC)
Ishan Kishan vs Pakistan, Colombo (RPS), 2026, Tonight* (T20 WC)
India were dominant across the phases. Pakistan were repeatedly under pressure. Early wickets shaped the chase. Kishan’s knock defined the match. India’s bowlers executed with clarity. Pakistan never quite found the rhythm. In T20 cricket, momentum behaves like quicksand - lose footing early, and recovery becomes exhausting. India march forward confidently. Pakistan left recalibrating. Rivalry intact!!!
With this win, India become the 2nd team after the West Indies to qualify for the Super 8s! Pakistan slip to third now in Group A and have to win their last league game against Namibia to qualify, or a no-result will do. They have a negative net run rate as of now.
Tomorrow, we have another triple header. Afghanistan vs UAE in Delhi to kick off on Monday. Following this, it is England vs Italy from the Eden Gardens before Australia take the field against Sri Lanka in a must-win game in Pallekele.
Until then, I am Dev Rajawat, signing off, along with my co-commentator AkshayaKrishna Polya, scorer Raju Khariya, and statistician Aman. That’s it from our side. Thanks for joining. But cricket doesn’t sleep. Plenty is happening around the world. Switch tabs, follow the fun. Goodbye from this tab! TAKE CARE! BREATHE AND SMILE! CIAO!!!!!
With this win, India become the 2nd team after the West Indies to qualify for the Super 8s! Pakistan slip to third now in Group A and have to win their last league game against Namibia to qualify, or a no-result will do. They have a negative net run rate as of now.
Tomorrow, we have another triple header. Afghanistan vs UAE in Delhi to kick off on Monday. Following this, it is England vs Italy from the Eden Gardens before Australia take the field against Sri Lanka in a must-win game in Pallekele.
Until then, I am Dev Rajawat, signing off, along with my co-commentator AkshayaKrishna Polya, scorer Raju Khariya, and statistician Aman. That’s it from our side. Thanks for joining. But cricket doesn’t sleep. Plenty is happening around the world. Switch tabs, follow the fun. Goodbye from this tab! TAKE CARE! BREATHE AND SMILE! CIAO!!!!!