India vs Pakistan: Another World Cup Night, Another Clinical Indian Victory Powered by Ishan Kishan

Colombo: At the final whistle at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Sunday night, there were no wild celebrations from the Indian camp. No emotional outbursts. No dramatic scenes.

Instead, barely five minutes after India sealed a commanding 61-run win over the Pakistan national cricket team, Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube were back in the middle, bowling on practice pitches under the lights.

For this Indian side, it felt routine.

Another World Cup match.
Another win over Pakistan.

And at the centre of it all stood Ishan Kishan.

Kishan’s Explosive 77 Changes the Script Early

Just a few months ago, Kishan was nowhere near India’s T20 plans. On Sunday, he looked every bit the present — and possibly the future — of India’s top order.

After Abhishek Sharma fell early on a sluggish Premadasa surface, Pakistan sensed an opening. The pitch was slow, offering grip and uneven bounce. Conventional wisdom suggested consolidation.

Kishan had other ideas.

The 27-year-old from Jharkhand launched into Pakistan’s attack with fearless precision, carving cuts, sweeping spinners, and forcing field changes within overs. His 77 off just 40 deliveries dismantled Pakistan’s early plans and completely altered the tempo of the game.

India raced to 52 in the Powerplay — a staggering 20 runs above par on a track that was anything but batting-friendly.

Playing the Conditions — Not the Occasion

“The pitch was not that easy. Sometimes, you just have to believe and focus on your strengths,” Kishan said after collecting the Player of the Match award. “I was just watching the ball, sticking to my strengths and making them run as much as possible.”

That clarity was evident throughout his innings. He didn’t slog blindly; he manipulated angles. He didn’t overhit; he found gaps. On a surface demanding discipline, Kishan responded with calculated aggression.

By the time he departed, Pakistan were already chasing shadows.

Smart Middle-Order Management

Following Kishan’s dismissal, India resisted the temptation to over-attack. Instead, the middle order assessed conditions smartly, nudging and rotating against quality spin to post 175 — a total captain Surya Kumar Yadav later admitted was well above par.

“We thought 175 was 15–20 runs over par. 155 would have made it a very tight game,” Surya said after the match.

It was a total built not just on power, but awareness.

Pace Sets the Tone, Spin Finishes the Job

Pakistan’s chase never truly took off.

Jasprit Bumrah (2-17) and Pandya (2-16) struck early blows, dismantling the top order and forcing Pakistan into high-risk cricket from the outset.

Only after the pacers had broken the backbone did India’s spinners enter the picture — bowling 18 of the 20 overs in the innings and squeezing any remaining hope out of the chase.

Pakistan folded 61 runs short, never looking settled in pursuit of the steep target.

Super 8 Secured — Dominance Continues

This victory marked India’s fourth consecutive win over Pakistan in major tournaments, following their recent Asia Cup hat-trick, and officially sealed their place in the Super 8 stage of the ICC T20 World Cup.

The dominance is no longer episodic — it is systemic.

Even amid off-field tension and the absence of a traditional pre-match handshake between captains, India maintained focus when it mattered most: once the ball was in play.

A Team That Means Business

Perhaps the most telling image of the night wasn’t Kishan’s boundaries or Bumrah’s yorkers — it was Pandya and Dube quietly returning to practice after a high-stakes victory.

No noise. No drama.

Just preparation.

For India, beating Pakistan is no longer an emotional crescendo — it is part of a larger mission.

And if Kishan continues in this vein, India’s Super 8 journey may just gather even greater momentum.