COLOMBO – India set Pakistan a target of 176 runs for victory in an ICC T20 World Cup group match.
At the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Pakistan captain Salman Agha won the toss and invited India to bat first. Notably, the captains of both Pakistan and India did not shake hands at the toss.
Batting first, India posted 175 runs for the loss of seven wickets in their allotted 20 overs.
Indian opener Abhishek Sharma was dismissed in the very first over by Salman Agha without scoring. The second wicket to fall was Ishan Kishan, who scored a brisk 77 off 40 balls before being bowled by Saim Ayub.
In the 15th over, with the total at 126, Tilak Varma was dismissed by Saim Ayub after scoring 25 runs. On the very next delivery, Hardik Pandya was sent back for a duck, also by Ayub.
India’s fifth wicket fell at 159 when captain Suryakumar Yadav was dismissed for 32 by Usman Tariq. Shivam Dube contributed 27 runs, while Axar Patel was dismissed without scoring.
For Pakistan, Saim Ayub claimed three wickets, while Usman Tariq, Shaheen Afridi, and Salman Agha picked up one wicket each. One Indian batter was run out.
Pakistan fielded an unchanged side. Their playing XI included Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, and Usman Tariq.
India made two changes to their lineup, bringing in Abhishek Sharma and Kuldeep Yadav to the playing XI.
Playing XIs
Both teams have announced their playing XIs, with Pakistan featuring Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Agha (c), Babar Azam, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Usman Khan (wk), Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, and Usman Tariq.
India’s lineup includes Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, and Jasprit Bumrah.
Historically, India have dominated the T20 rivalry, winning 13 of the 16 encounters, while Pakistan have emerged victorious only three times.
Their last meeting came in the previous T20 World Cup, when India successfully defended a modest 120-run target to beat Pakistan by six runs at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York. Specifically in T20 World Cups, the record is heavily in India’s favor, with seven wins out of eight clashes against Pakistan.
Both teams enter this blockbuster clash on strong form. Pakistan have won their last five T20Is, while India have suffered just one defeat in their last five completed matches.
In the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026, both sides remain unbeaten after two games each. Pakistan began their campaign with a win over the Netherlands before comprehensively defeating the USA, placing them second in Group A on net run rate behind defending champions India, who edged past the USA and Namibia.
With momentum on their side and a packed stadium awaiting, the stage is set for another thrilling India-Pakistan showdown, where both bragging rights and crucial World Cup points are on the line.
