Early setback, Kishan leads counterattack
After being invited to bat first, India suffered an early blow. Salman Ali Agha struck in the opening over and dismissed Abhishek Sharma for a golden duck. However, Ishan Kishan immediately shifted the momentum.
Kishan attacked from the outset. He played aggressive strokes all around the ground and punished loose deliveries with boundaries and sixes. Tilak Varma supported him steadily at the other end.
At the end of the powerplay, India were 52/1. Tilak Varma was unbeaten on 10 off 7 balls, while Kishan raced to 42 off 25 balls.
Kishan reached his half-century in just 27 deliveries. He maintained the same attacking approach and kept the scoreboard moving quickly. Eventually, Saim Ayub dismissed him in the ninth over. Kishan scored a brilliant 77 off 40 balls, laying a strong foundation.
After 10 overs, India were 92/2, with Tilak Varma on 12* (10) and Suryakumar Yadav on 3* (5).
Middle overs bring mixed results
India crossed the 100-run mark in style when Tilak Varma smashed a six on the first ball of the 12th over. However, Pakistan pulled things back in the middle overs.
Saim Ayub struck twice in the 15th over. He removed Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya on consecutive deliveries, putting pressure on India. After 15 overs, India were 127/4, with Suryakumar Yadav on 22* (18) and Shivam Dube on 1* (3).
Usman Tariq then dismissed Suryakumar Yadav on the second-last ball of his spell. Yadav scored 32 off 29 balls. India reached 159/5 after 19 overs. In the final over, India added 16 runs but lost two wickets. They finished with a competitive total that set Pakistan a challenging target.
India strike early with the ball
India’s bowlers responded immediately. Hardik Pandya delivered a breakthrough in the first over of the chase by dismissing Sahibzada Farhan for a golden duck.
Jasprit Bumrah intensified the pressure in the second over. He removed Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha in the same over, leaving Pakistan in deep trouble.
Axar Patel joined the attack and dismissed Babar Azam in the fifth over. After six overs, Pakistan were struggling at 38/4, with Usman Khan on 21* (17) and Shadan Khan on 1* (2).
Pakistan collapse despite resistance
Pakistan attempted to rebuild. After 10 overs, they were 71/4. Usman Khan was batting well on 43* (31), and Shadan Khan was on 12* (12). However, Axar Patel struck again in the 11th over and dismissed Usman Khan. Pakistan slipped to 73/5. Kuldeep Yadav removed Mohammad Nawaz in the 12th over, reducing them to 78/6.
Tilak Varma then made an impact with the ball. He dismissed Shadab Khan on the first ball of the 13th over. Pakistan were 84/7 after 13 overs. At the end of 15 overs, Pakistan were 94/7, with Faheem Ashraf on 8* (12) and Shaheen Afridi on 6* (7).
Final collapse seals dominant win
Varun Chakaravarthy effectively ended the contest in the 16th over. He dismissed Faheem Ashraf and Abrar Ahmed, leaving Pakistan at 97/9. Pakistan crossed 100 runs on the first ball of the 17th over when Shaheen Afridi hit a boundary off Rinku Singh. Hardik Pandya completed the victory in the 18th over. He dismissed Usman Tariq on the final ball of the over. Pakistan were bowled out for 114.
India won the match by 61 runs in a dominant all-round performance, highlighted by Ishan Kishan’s explosive innings and a ruthless bowling display.
Brief Scorecard
