India registered a dominant 61-run win over Pakistan at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Sunday, as Pakistan’s batting collapsed while chasing 176.
The chase never gained momentum. Saim Ayub, Salman Agha and Babar Azam fell cheaply, while Sahibzada Farhan was dismissed without scoring. Usman Khan fought back with a brisk 44 off 34 balls, but once Axar Patel removed him, Pakistan’s hopes faded. Shaheen Afridi added a late 23, yet the team struggled to 114 in a disappointing finish. Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy claimed two wickets each.
Earlier, after Pakistan chose to field, Ishan Kishan’s explosive 77 off 40 balls powered India to 175. Despite losing Abhishek Sharma early, India kept attacking, reaching 52/1 in the powerplay. Captain Suryakumar Yadav contributed a steady 32.
Though Saim Ayub impressed with 3/25, Pakistan’s batting failure ultimately defined the match.
