History repeats in Colombo: India thump Pakistan amid ‘handshake’ snub
By Nawaz Gohar ; Continuing their historical dominance in major tournaments, India defeated arch-rivals Pakistan by 61 runs in the highly anticipated clash of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
After being put into bat, India posted a solid total of 175/7 in their allotted 20 overs, while Pakistan’s chase collapsed at 114 runs in the 18th over.
Pakistan’s pursuit of the 176-run target began disastrously. Hardik Pandya struck in the very first over, dismissing Sahibzada Farhan on the fourth delivery. Saim Ayub followed shortly after, scoring only 6 runs. The pressure mounted as Captain Salman Ali Agha (4) and star batter Babar Azam (5) failed to make an impact.
Usman Khan provided the only significant resistance with a valiant 44, but lacked support from the other end. Shadab Khan (14), Shaheen Shah Afridi (23), and Faheem Ashraf (10) added minor scores, but the team was eventually bowled out for 114. India’s bowling attack was led by Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, and Varun Chakravarthy, who claimed two wickets each.
Earlier, Pakistan’s captain Salman Ali Agha took the bold step of opening the bowling himself, dismissing Abhishek Sharma for a duck on the final ball of the first over. However, Ishan Kishan played a masterclass innings of 77 runs to steady the ship.
Tilak Varma (25) and Captain Suryakumar Yadav (32) made vital contributions, while Shivam Dube added a brisk 27. Saim Ayub was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan with three wickets, while Agha, Shaheen, and Usman Tariq took one apiece.
The match was played under a cloud of diplomatic tension. Following a brief border conflict in May last year, relations between the two nations have remained strained, spilling onto the cricket field. Despite pre-match rumors of a potential “surprise” handshake, both captains avoided the traditional gesture during the toss, maintaining the cold streak seen in recent encounters.
This fixture was originally in jeopardy after Pakistan threatened to boycott following the exclusion of Bangladesh from the tournament. However,
intervention from the ICC and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) ensured the match proceeded. With this win, India maintains its overwhelming record against Pakistan, having now won 14 out of their 17 T20 encounters to date.
