India crushed Pakistan by 61 runs in their Group A match of the T20 World Cup 2026 on Sunday, February 15. Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl first.
India had a poor start as Abhishek Sharma was out for a duck in the first over. But Ishan Kishan played a brilliant knock under pressure, scoring 77 runs from 40 balls on a slow pitch.
Suryakumar Yadav made 32 from 29 balls, while Shivam Dube scored 27 from 17. Rinku Singh added a quick unbeaten 11 from just four balls at the end. India finished at 175/7 in 20 overs, their highest T20 World Cup total against Pakistan.
Pakistan bowled 18 overs of spin, with Shaheen Afridi bowling only two overs of pace. Saim Ayub was their best bowler with 3 wickets for 25 runs in four overs. Usman Tariq also bowled well, taking 1 wicket for 24 runs.
In reply, Pakistan never looked in control. Usman Khan fought hard with 44 runs from 34 balls, but the team was bowled out for 114 in 18 overs. Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, and Varun Chakaravarthy took two wickets each. Kishan was named Player of the Match for his outstanding innings. The win also helped India qualify for the Super 8 stage.
Now, let’s look at three moments from this big match that got fans talking.
1. Hardik Pandya shocks Pakistan with a wicket maiden
Hardik Pandya bowled the first over of Pakistan’s chase and made an instant impact. He dismissed opener Sahibzada Farhan for a four-ball duck and put Pakistan under pressure right away.
Farhan tried to play a pull shot to a short ball but failed to time it properly. The ball went straight to Rinku Singh at long-on. Hardik completed a wicket maiden, giving India the perfect start.
No sixes, no documentary? Aisa kaise ho sakta hai 🤐
Hardik Pandya 🤝 Rinku Singh
ICC Men’s #T20WorldCup | #INDvPAK | LIVE NOW 👉https://t.co/SpqYo6n3dL pic.twitter.com/2YlRIY60pv
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) February 15, 20262. Suryakumar Yadav greets Usman Tariq with a boundary
Pakistan’s mystery spinner Usman Tariq was in the spotlight before the match because of his unique action. He came on to bowl in the 11th over.
Suryakumar Yadav welcomed him with a confident boundary. Tariq bowled a good-length off-spin delivery, and the Indian captain hit it firmly through mid-wicket for four runs.
You can watch the shot below:
No pause… just play! 😏@surya_14kumar welcomes Usman Tariq with a boundary. GAME ON! 🔛
ICC Men’s #T20WorldCup | #INDvPAK | LIVE NOW 👉https://t.co/SpqYo6n3dL pic.twitter.com/yAUa3HIqgW
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) February 15, 20263. Jasprit Bumrah dismisses Saim Ayub with a perfect yorker
Jasprit Bumrah began his spell with a sharp delivery on the leg stump. Saim Ayub got lucky as a top edge flew over third man for a six.
But on the very next ball, Bumrah bowled a superb inswinging yorker. Ayub failed to bring his bat down in time and was trapped LBW.
Here’s the video of the dismissal:
"THEY CANNOT PLAY HIM!" 🔥
Jasprit Bumrah gets Saim Ayub & Salman Agha out in the same over! Pakistan are 3 down 🥶
ICC Men’s #T20WorldCup | #INDvPAK | LIVE NOW 👉https://t.co/SpqYo6n3dL pic.twitter.com/2mVlsnJBqI
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) February 15, 2026
