Usman Khan is the leading scorer with 44 runs, followed by Shaheen Afridi’s 23.
Pakistan lost by 61 runs against India in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 group stage match on Sunday at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Ishan Kishan’s scorching half-century, along with a disciplined collective bowling performance, propelled India to victory and secured the Men in Blue’s spot in the Super Eights.
Pakistan’s batting squad managed score 114 before being bowled out in 18 overs as they attempted to chase down a daunting 176-run goal.
Pakistan made a dismal start to the chase, as India’s speed combo of Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya ripped through their top order – Sahibzada Farhan (zero), Saim Ayub (six), and skipper Salman Ali Agha (four) – in two overs with only 13 runs on the board.
Following the early fiasco, wicketkeeper Usman Khan stepped out to bat at No.5 and quickly took charge of Pakistan’s pursuit.
Usman and Babar Azam (five) established a one-sided 21-run partnership for the fourth wicket, which was ended by Axar Patel in the fifth over.
The 30-year-old then had a careful 39-run stand for the fifth wicket with all-rounder Shadab Khan before Axar struck again to put an end to his tenacity.
Usman remained the leading scorer with a brave 44 off 34 deliveries, including six fours and one six.
His removal was followed by two more setbacks, as Pakistan lost Mohammad Nawaz (four) and set-batter Shadab (14) in consecutive overs, reducing them to 78/7 in 12.1 overs.
All-rounder Faheem Ashraf (10) and lower-order batsman Shaheen Shah Afridi then added 19 runs for the eighth wicket before succumbing to Varun Chakravarthy, who struck again in the 16th over to dismiss Abrar Ahmed for a golden duck and reduce the total to 97/9.
Pandya then dealt Pakistan a crushing blow by clearing out No. 11 Usman Tariq.
Bumrah, Patel, Pandya, and Chakravarthy led the way for India with two wickets apiece, followed by Kuldeep Yadav and Tilak Varma.
Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha’s choice to field first proved costly for the Green Shirts, as the Men in Blue scored 175/7 in their 20 overs.
India got off to a poor start in their innings, but Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha’s choice to begin the attack resulted in a significant breakthrough in the shape of top-ranked T20I hitter Abhishek Sharma, who went for a four-ball duck.
Following an early wobble, opener Kishan engineered an incredible recovery by forming a one-sided second-wicket combination with Tilak Varma.
The combination tormented Pakistan’s bowling line, scoring 87 runs off 45 deliveries until Saim Ayub provided the Green Shirts with a much-needed breakthrough by dismissing set batsman Kishan, who finished with a 40-ball 77 that included 10 fours and three sixes.
Kishan’s departure caused the new combination of Varma and Suryakumar Yadav to rebuild the innings, as they played conservatively to add 38 runs for the third-wicket stand until Saim turned things around by removing the left-handed batsman and Hardik Pandya (zero) in consecutive deliveries.
Varma batted cautiously, scoring 25 from 24 deliveries with two fours and a six.
With the scoreboard showing 126/4 in 14.3 overs, Shivam Dube joined captain Yadav in the middle, and the two maintained India’s momentum by putting up a 33-run partnership that ended with the latter being dismissed in the penultimate over by Usman Tariq.
The Indian skipper continued to be a significant run-getter, scoring 32 runs off 29 balls, including three boundaries.
Dube followed suit, dying on the last pitch of the innings after scoring 27 off 17 deliveries, including three fours and a six.
Saim Ayub was Pakistan’s best bowler, taking three wickets for 25 runs in four overs, while Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Tariq each claimed one wicket.