Ishan Kishan wreaked havoc on the Pakistan bowling attack in Colombo.
On a pitch favoring spinners, the southpaw slammed 77 off just 40 balls with 10 fours and 3 sixes to propel the defending champions to a highly competitive 175/7 in 20 overs.
In reply, Pakistan’s innings folded for a paltry 114 in 18 overs as India made it 8-1 against the arch-rivals in T20 World Cups.
After the game, Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson acknowledged Kishan’s brilliance, saying that the swashbuckling left-hander “took the game away from us.”
“I think with the ball, obviously it was spinning quite a lot initially, and the way Ishan Kishan played took the game away from us,” Hesson said in the post-match presser. “To be fair to India, they probably got about 25 above par on that surface. From a batting point of view, we didn’t really give ourselves a chance in terms of adjusting to conditions.”
Hesson also dismissed suggestions that Pakistan’s decision to bowl first after the winning the toss determined the outcome.
“I think if you look at the game, the ball spun half as much in the second innings — it skidded on,” he added. “There was nothing wrong with the decision to bowl first. It was the quality of bowling in the first six overs and the way Ishan Kishan played that hurt us. It certainly had nothing to do with the pitch. You’ve got to look at the facts rather than emotive accountability.”
Mystery spinner Usman Tariq’s delayed introduction also became a topic of discussion after Pakistan’s defeat. However, Hesson defended the move.
“Usman’s got a very specific role for us. Could he have bowled earlier? Yes, he could have,” Hesson said. “But Abrar and Shadab have done that job for us in the last five wins. They just didn’t get their lengths right today. It didn’t work, but that doesn’t automatically make it a blunder. Usman was exceptional tonight.”
Pakistan now sit third in Group A with two wins and one loss. They will have to win their last group-stage game against Namibia to qualify for the Super 8s of the tournament.