Colombo: India's Ishan Kishan plays a shot during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 match between India and Pakistan at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday, February 15, 2026. (Photo: IANS/Biplab Banerjee)
Colombo, February 15 (IANS) India wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan said being simple in his batting approach and focusing on opening up his off-side game helped him smash a match-winning 77 in the side’s 61-run win over Pakistan in a Group A clash at the R Premadasa Stadium on Sunday.
Amidst the rain threat looming on the big clash, Kishan struck a blistering 77 off 40 balls laced with ten fours and three sixes on a slow, spin-friendly pitch as India posted 175/7 before bowling Pakistan out for 114 to secure a 61-run victory and qualify for the Super Eights.
“I think the wicket was not that easy in the beginning, but sometimes you just have to believe what you want to play, what shots are on, and you have to just focus on your strength.
“So I was just keeping it simple and watching the ball and playing with the field, maybe trying to make them run as much as they can, but yeah, I think it worked pretty well on my side,” Kishan said in the post-match presentation ceremony.
Kishan, who was named Player of the Match, highlighted the work he had put into his offside game and the importance of rotating strike on a large ground. “I think I did work a lot on my offside game and it will give me the balls where I want them to bowl if I play good shots on offside.
“So I was just trying to hit the gaps because it's a big boundary and when it's a big ground you get a bigger gap. So I was just trying to keep it simple, like I said, trying to hit the gaps, trying to at least take two runs because the wicket was not easy. I had that in mind that we need to put a total like 160-170 runs and it will be a very good total for us,” he added.
Kishan further said the win carried added significance given the hype and rivalry around the India-Pakistan clashes. “100 percent. India v Pakistan is always a special game not only for us but for our country as well. So we had to win this one because it was a very important game and they had pretty good spinners in their side.
“We were just supposed to play the good shots and winning this against Pakistan team... it will give us a lot of confidence going ahead in the tournament and we'll try to just keep the momentum going.”
He also praised India’s new-ball bowlers for setting the tone. “I think they bowled tremendously well. Pace bowlers... when I was batting and Shaheen was bowling, I didn't feel like the ball was doing much for the pace bowlers. But at the same time, looking at them (Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah) bowl two beautiful overs, it was a plus point for us.
“Especially when we know how Jasprit Bumrah can bowl, whether he has new ball in his hand and bowling in the death. Credit goes to Hardik Pandya for keeping it on the tight areas, bowling what we planned before the game and executing his plans pretty well,” he concluded.
T20 WC: Ishan amazingly took the responsibility after being 0-1 down, says Suryakumar
Captain Suryakumar Yadav praised wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan’s match-winning 77 after India's 61-run victory over Pakistan in a Group A clash in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Colombo on Sunday, saying that he took the responsibility of the innings amazingly after being 0-1 down.
Kishan struck a blistering 77 off 40 balls, laced with ten fours and three sixes on a slow, spin-friendly pitch as India posted 175/7 before bowling Pakistan out for 114 to secure a 61-run victory and qualify for the Super Eights.
“This is for India. We played the same brand of cricket we wanted to play. The way Ishan batted, he batted the same way (he has been batting in the last few games and domestic cricket). Ishan thought something out of the box.
“At 0-1, someone needed to take responsibility, and he did that amazingly. There was a bit of a slump, but that is the beauty of T20 cricket. The way they (Tilak, Dube, and Rinku) batted is commendable,” Yadav said in the post-match presentation ceremony.
India’s victory was their eighth in nine Men’s T20 World Cup meetings against Pakistan. Yadav also said the total was above par and credited his bowlers for sealing the win. “Difficult to tell when batting first. As soon as we reached 175, we thought it was 15-20 runs over par. 155, it would have been a very tight game. Hardik took the new ball, taking charge. Bumrah then showed why he is the best in the world. It was great to see everyone contributing,” he added.
Looking ahead, the right-handed batter said the team would regroup well before their next fixture against the Netherlands in Ahmedabad, to be played on February 18. “We will think about that tomorrow. We will go back, have some good time together as a team (tonight), and think about that when we reach Ahmedabad.”
Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha admitted his side had fallen short with both bat and ball. “We went with four spinners; they had an off-day. Execution was missing in some parts. With the bat, we did not start well. If you lose 3-4 wickets in the Power-play, you are always chasing the game,” he said.
“In the first innings, it was a bit tacky, and the ball was gripping too. The pitch played better in the second innings, but we did not bowl according to the situation, and we did not apply ourselves with the bat.
“In these games, the emotions are always going to be high; we just need to deal with them. We have played enough (of these games), we have a game in a couple of days, and we have to look forward to it. We need to win that and qualify. Then it is a new tournament,” he said.
