History was etched in Colombo as India’s batsmen fired on all cylinders against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup, posting 175 for 7 – now the highest team total in their T20 WC encounters. Sent in to bat after Pakistan called correctly at the toss, India overcame a shaky start to set a daunting 176-run target.
Abhishek Sharma’s golden duck in the first over tested resolve, but Ishan Kishan (77 off 40, 10 fours, 3 sixes) and Tilak Varma (25) erupted for 87 runs in 46 balls, injecting momentum.
Suryakumar Yadav’s captain’s knock of 32 from 29 balls, featuring 3 fours, rescued the innings alongside Tilak (third wicket 38 runs). At 126/4, Shivam Dube (27) joined Surya for 33 crucial runs, and Rinku Singh’s unbeaten 11 off 4 balls finished strongly.
Pakistan’s Saim Ayub was exceptional with 3/25, supported by single wickets from Salman Agha, Shaheen Afridi, and Usman Tariq. Benchmarking the past, this outshines India’s 160/6 and 157/5, plus Pakistan’s 159/8 from 2022.
This landmark innings underscores India’s evolution in white-ball cricket against Pakistan. The chase looms large, potentially deciding another memorable chapter in this storied rivalry.