COLOMBO: After being put in to bat, India posted 176 run challenging total, thanks largely to a blistering knock from Ishan Kishan.
Pakistan opted to field first after winning the toss, a decision that yielded early success when captain Salman Ali Agha dismissed Abhishek Sharma for a duck in the opening over.
Despite the early setback, Kishan counterattacked with authority, smashing 77 off just 40 deliveries, including 10 fours and three sixes. His aggressive stroke play helped India regain momentum during the powerplay. However, Pakistan’s spin gamble paid off when Saim Ayub removed Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya in quick succession, before later accounting for Kishan to stall India’s charge.
Ayub emerged as the standout performer with three key wickets, while Shaheen Afridi, Usman Tariq and Agha chipped in with one wicket each to keep India within reach.
Both sides entered the encounter with four points from two matches, though India led the standings on net run rate, with Pakistan closely behind in second place. Historically, the rivals have met 16 times in T20 internationals, with India holding a dominant 13-3 edge.
The high-voltage fixture also marked their first meeting since the dramatic Asia Cup final last year, staged amid heightened political tensions between the two nations. Pakistan’s earlier boycott threat—later withdrawn—had briefly cast doubt over the tournament’s marquee showdown.
Playing XIs
Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha (c), Babar Azam, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Usman Khan (w), Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq.
India: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (w), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.
