India Thrash Pakistan by 61 Runs in T20 World Cup, Storm Into Super 8

By Laavya Kabra
New Delhi/Colombo, 15th February 2026: India registered a commanding 61-run victory over Pakistan in the T20 World Cup, marking their biggest win over the arch-rivals in terms of runs in the tournament’s history. With the result, India sealed qualification for the Super 8 stage and continued their unbeaten run with three consecutive wins, topping Group A in the points table.

Chasing a competitive target of 176 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Pakistan were bowled out for 114 in 18 overs. Usman Khan was the top scorer with 44 runs, but the innings failed to gain momentum against disciplined Indian bowling.

For India, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy and Hardik Pandya claimed two wickets each to dismantle the Pakistani batting line-up.

Earlier, after losing the toss, India posted 175 for 7 in 20 overs. Ishan Kishan starred with a blistering 77 off 40 balls, striking 10 fours and three sixes. Captain Suryakumar Yadav contributed 32 runs to steady the innings. For Pakistan, Saim Ayub picked up three wickets.

With this win, India strengthened their position at the top of Group A and became one of the first teams to confirm a Super 8 berth.

Captains Skip Handshake at Toss
In a notable moment before the match, the captains of both teams did not shake hands during the toss. Indian players had also refrained from handshakes during the Asia Cup last year as a mark of protest following a terror attack in Pahalgam.

Pre-Match Performance by Hanumankind
Ahead of the toss, rapper Hanumankind performed tracks from the film Dhurandhar, including the title song. The artist had earlier been at the centre of controversy in Pakistan over one of his songs.

Former India captain Rohit Sharma was present at the stadium to support the team and was seen greeting and embracing the players before the match.

Playing XIs
Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha (Captain), Babar Azam, Usman Khan (Wicketkeeper), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Usman Tariq and Abrar Ahmed.

India: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy and Jasprit Bumrah.