Pakistan suffered a crushing 61-run defeat against India in the T20 World Cup 2026 group stage encounter on Sunday (February 15) at the R Premadasa Stadium
in Colombo.
Chasing 176 runs, Pakistan's batting lineup collapsed dramatically from the outset and they were bundled out for just 114 runs.
The innings unravelled early as Hardik Pandya struck in the first over, dismissing opener Sahibzada Farhan for a golden duck. Jasprit Bumrah then delivered a devastating spell, claiming Saim Ayub and Salman Agha in quick succession, reducing Pakistan to 13/3 inside the first two overs. Babar Azam departed soon after at 34/4, leaving the top order in tatters.
These early wickets, four in the powerplay, shattered any momentum, forcing the middle order into survival mode on a slow, spin-friendly pitch. Usman Khan offered brief resistance with 44, but the damage was irreversible. Pakistan were bundled out for 114 in 18 overs, with India's bowlers sharing the spoils.
Each of Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya picked 2 wickets in the match. Kuldeep Yadav and Tilak Varma had one wicket each.
The top-order implosion meant Pakistan never recovered, handing India their biggest T20I win over their rivals and a spot in the Super 8s, extending their World Cup dominance to 8-1.
Rameez Raja blasts Pakistan Batters
And former PCB chairman Rameez Raja, who was the commentator in the match, took apart the Pakistani batters for their ultra-aggressive display in the chase. Raja lamented Pakistan's obsession with hitting sixes and blamed their 'possessed' batting as a reason behind the defeat.
"I feel that they were possessed in a way to just hit the ball out of the park because that's the modern way of playing the game. I think that's weighing too much on their minds. Rather than playing the situation and the conditions and having a game plan. I think they just had individual game plans. It wasn't a team strategy as such," Raja said live on air.
Pakistan's latest setback against India meant they have slipped to 3rd position in the Group A points table and will have to win against Namibia to qualify for the Super 8 stages. India, meanwhile, has qualified for the playoffs.
