Babar Azam fell for just five runs after facing seven deliveries for a strike-rate of 71.43 during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Group A fixture between India and Pakistan at the R Premadasa Stadium
in Colombo on Sunday.
Babar was dismissed by Axar Patel as he bowled with a little bit more flight and pitched it in front of the wickets. It was the under-cutter on a fuller length as Babar swung wildly to slog it over the leg side, but played all over the line of the ball. The delivery snuck past the yawning gap between the bat and the pad to crash into the stumps.
This was after India’s pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya swiftly disrupted Pakistan’s top order as the aggregate by Pakistan’s top three was just 10 runs — their lowest in a T20 World Cup game and fewest against India.
Pandya dismissed Sahibzada Farhan for a duck on the fourth ball of the opening over. Jasprit Bumrah then delivered a double blow in the next over, removing Saim Ayub (6) and captain Salman Agha (4), leaving Pakistan struggling at 13 for 3 after just two overs.
Ishan Kishan Helps India Post 175/7
Earlier, Ishan Kishan’s explosive 77 off 40 balls gave India a strong start, but Pakistan fought back to restrict their rivals to 175/7 from their 20 overs.
India’s opener Abhishek Sharma returned from a stomach bug but fell for a duck after facing just four balls, caught at mid-on by Shaheen Shah Afridi off Agha’s bowling.
Kishan, undeterred by his partner’s dismissal, attacked the Pakistan bowlers, reaching his fifty off 27 balls with two sixes and seven fours. His aggressive play was halted when he was bowled by spinner Saim Ayub, having scored 77 out of India’s 88/2 in 8.4 overs, including three sixes and 10 fours.
India seemed poised for a total exceeding 200 while Kishan was at the crease, but his wicket allowed Pakistan to slow the scoring. By the second drinks break after 14 overs, India was at 125/2.
Tilak Varma, on 25, became Ayub’s second victim, trapped in front, making it 126/3. Hardik Pandya was caught in the deep on the next ball, narrowly missing Ayub’s hat-trick as Shivam Dube survived a close call.
Ayub finished with impressive figures of 3/25 from his four overs. Suryakumar, who made 32 off 29 balls, was caught on the midwicket boundary off spinner Usman Tariq in the penultimate over. Dube was run out for 27 in the final over, with Axar Patel falling for nought on the last ball, leaving Rinku Singh 11 not out.
(With inputs from Agencies)
