India thrash Pakistan to seal super eight spot

By Cricketing Country | Posted Posted Feb 15, 2026

India booked their place in the Super 8 stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 with a commanding 61-run victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in Colombo.

Defending 175, India bowled Pakistan out for 114 in just 18 overs. Usman Khan top-scored with 44, while Shaheen Afridi remained unbeaten on 23.

Shadab Khan made 14 and Faheem Ashraf added 10, but the rest of the batting lineup struggled against India’s disciplined bowling attack.

Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy and Axar Patel claimed two wickets each, while Kuldeep Yadav and Tilak Varma picked up one apiece to complete a dominant performance.

Earlier, after being asked to bat first, India posted 175/7 in 20 overs. Ishan Kishan led the scoring with a fluent 77 off 40 balls, striking 10 fours and three sixes.

Captain Suryakumar Yadav contributed 32, while Shivam Dube made 27 and Tilak Varma added 25 to ensure a competitive total.

For Pakistan, Saim Ayub took three wickets, while Salman Agha, Shaheen Afridi and Usman Tariq claimed one each.

With the win, India sit at the top of Group A with six points from three matches. Pakistan, with four points from three games, drop to third place.

India will next face the Netherlands, while Pakistan are set to take on Namibia.