In a high-stakes encounter at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Hardik Pandya delivered a masterclass with the new ball, dismissing Pakistan opener
Sahibzada Farhan for a duck in the first over while bowling a maiden.
This set the tone for India's defense of 175/7 against their arch-rivals in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026.
Pandya, entrusted with the opening over, started with pinpoint accuracy. He offered no width or pace, frustrating Farhan from the outset. After three dot balls, a short delivery outside off induced a tentative poke from the opener, resulting in an edge that flew to the slips.
Hardik Pandya getting Sahibzada Farhan for a Duck
Farhan departed without scoring, and Pandya followed up by beating the outside edge of the incoming Salman Agha, completing a wicket-maiden. The Indian all-rounder, who had earlier failed with the bat, redeemed himself spectacularly, sending shockwaves through the Pakistani camp.
WICKET MAIDEN BY Hardik Pandya 🤯🔥
- Gencric (@SinghNiranjan2) February 15, 2026
Pure intensity. Game-changing over. 💥#IndvPak pic.twitter.com/2Qm0r5auLu
Jasprit Bumrah then piled on the pressure in the second over, claiming two wickets-Saim Ayub and Salman Agha-in quick succession, leaving Pakistan reeling at 13/3 after two overs. Babar Azam and Usman Khan were tasked with the rebuild, inching the score to 24/3 by the 3.3-over mark, still needing 152 runs from 99 balls.
Pakistan won the toss and elected to bowl, capitalizing on a tricky pitch. India started shakily, losing Abhishek Sharma early, but Ishan Kishan blasted 77 off 40 balls (10 fours, 3 sixes) to revive the innings. Suryakumar Yadav contributed 32, while Shivam Dube (27*) and Rinku Singh added late impetus for a competitive 175/7. Saim Ayub starred with the ball for Pakistan, taking key wickets including Tilak Varma and Pandya.
