India made a hat-trick of victories against Pakistan in the men’s ICC T20 World Cup as they thrashed the Men In Green by a huge margin of 61 runs in Colombo.
This triumph meant the scoreline now stands 8-1 in favor of India in IND vs PAK contests in the men’s ICC T20 World Cup.
The result on Sunday night also meant that India became the first team from Group A to qualify for the Super 8, having secured three wins in three games. Pakistan slipped below the USA in the points table courtesy of this huge loss – but Salman Agha’s team have a game in hand against Namibia, while the USA have exhausted their group matches.
The buildup to this marquee clash on Sunday in Colombo was marred by geopolitical controversies over the last two weeks. The Pakistani government had announced a boycott of the IND vs PAK fixture to show solidarity with Bangladesh but made a U-turn soon after.
IND vs PAK Match report: Ishan Kishan bulldozes before India bowlers pounce.
Coming to the match day, Agha won the toss and elected to field first. India clocked in two changes – Abhishek Sharma and Kuldeep Yadav coming in for Sanju Samson and Arshdeep Singh.
Abhishek failed to fire tonight, falling to the Pakistani captain in the first over for a duck – Abhishek is yet to make a run in this tournament. From the other end, Kishan flew near the sun. On a pitch that was tacky, had grip, and aided the bowlers, he stood apart from the batsmen across both teams.
The left-hander who was not even part of the T20I setup until January blasted 77 runs off 40 balls, smoking 10 fours and three sixes. It was one of the best knocks by an Indian opener in IND vs PAK fixtures given the nature of the pitch and the opposition’s bowling attack.
Knowing that the surface would only get tougher to bat on, Kishan utilized the powerplay to the fullest. In his second-wicket partnership of 87 (46) with Tilak Varma, Kishan hammered 76 runs.
It was after Kishan’s fall in the 9th over that Pakistan managed to have some semblance of control. Suryakumar and Tilak’s third-wicket stand of 38 (34) ensured India didn’t collapse. With the help of some late fireworks from Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh, the Men In Blue finished at 175, a total that SKY later reckoned was 15 runs above par.
It eventually proved too much for Pakistan, as they were rocked early on in their chase. Hardik Pandya bounced out Farhan for a duck. Jasprit Bumrah followed it with a double-wicket over, removing Saim Ayub and skipper Agha.
Babar Azam was castled by Axar Patel in the 5th over, and Pakistan’s hopes blew up in smoke. Usman Khan ended up being Pakistan’s top scorer with 44 runs, but the contest was effectively done and dusted even before the completion of Pakistan’s powerplay.
The fact that India could bowl three overs of Tilak and Rinku while Pakistan were bundled out in 18 overs reflected the state of the game as well as the gulf between the cricket of the two nations.
India’s victory and Pakistan’s embarrassing defeat triggered a meme fest on the internet. Netizens on Twitter trolled Pakistan with funny memes.
IND vs PAK: Top Funny Memes After India Beat Pakistan In Colombo
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