How did Ishan Kishan & Suryakumar Yadav react after India's dominating win over Pakistan in T20 World Cup 2026?

India registered their eighth T20 World Cup win against Pakistan to book their spot in the Super 8.

India defeated Pakistan by a commanding 61 runs in their T20 World Cup 2026 Group A clash at Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium. Sent in to bat first, India posted 175/7, led by Ishan Kishan’s explosive 77 off 40 balls, with Shivam Dube adding a quick-fire 27 off 17 balls.

Pakistan’s chase collapsed dramatically to 114 all out in 18 overs, as India‘s bowlers, led by Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, and Axar Patel, tore through the lineup, extending India’s record against Pakistan in T20 World Cups to 8-1.

This record-breaking victory sealed India’s place as the first team from Group A to qualify for the Super 8s, once again reinforcing the idea that the so-called “greatest rivalry” in cricket thrives more on off-field drama, as on the field it has largely been one-sided domination by the Men in Blue.

Ishan Kishan received the Man of the Match award

Ishan Kishan was outstanding against Pakistan, as it was his incredible half-century that helped India post an above-par score on a sluggish wicket. It seemed like Kishan was batting on a completely different pitch, as all other batters struggled to time the ball.

“The wicket was not that easy. Sometimes, you have to believe and focus on your strengths. Was watching the ball, sticking to my strengths, and making them run as much as possible. I did work a lot on my off-side game, so that I can have them bowl where I want them to bowl. On a big ground, you get bigger gaps. Trying to hit the gaps, trying to take two runs”, said Kishan on his batting approach.

“Knew we had to put up a total like 160-170, which would be a good total for us. India-Pakistan, always a special game, not just for us but for our country as well. They had pretty good spinners on their side. Winning this against Pakistan will give us confidence going forward.”

Further shedding light on India’s bowling efforts, he added: “They bowled tremendously well. Pace bowlers, when I was batting, did not feel like it was doing much for pacers. We know how Jassi can bowl, whether with the new ball or at the death. Credit goes to Hardik for bowling in tight areas and for executing his plans.”

How did Suryakumar Yadav react after India’s dominant win over Pakistan?

Captain Suryakumar Yadav enjoyed a satisfying day in office. His team totally outplayed Pakistan, and he was a happy man at the end of the contest.

He reflected on the outcome, saying this result was for all the fans back home: “This is for India. We played the same brand of cricket we wanted to play. The way Ishan batted, he batted the same way (he has been batting in the last few games and domestic cricket). Ishan thought something out of the box. At 0-1, someone needed to take responsibility, and he did that amazingly. There was a bit of a slump, but that is the beauty of T20 cricket.”

Speaking on India’s batting effort, Yadav added: “The way they (Tilak, Dube, and Rinku) batted, it is commendable. Difficult to tell when batting first. As soon as we reached 175, we thought it was 15-20 runs over par. 155, it would have been a very tight game.”

“Hardik took the new ball, taking charge. Bumrah then showed why he is the best in the world. It was great to see everyone contributing. (On how they intend to keep this run going) We’ll think about that tomorrow. We go back, have some good time together as a team (tonight), and think about that when we reach Ahmedabad”, concluded SKY.

India will next play against the Netherlands on February 18, at the Narendra Modi Stadium, in Ahmedabad. It will be a non-consequential match, giving India an option to try different combinations, ahead of their Super 8 fixtures.

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