Monday 16 / February / 2026
Colombo: Following his side's win over Pakistan, Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav hailed Ishan Kishan for his magnificent knock, which oozed a mixture of ruthless aggression and responsibility at the same time, adding that the score India had was "15-20 runs over the par score".
Despite Abhishek's second duck of the tournament, it was Ishan who stepped up yet again, firing a magnificent 77 in 40 balls, with 10 fours and three sixes to provide Team India the security they needed, with the right attacking intent. By the time he was out, Kishan had scored an overwhelming majority of his team's score, laying down a platform for his skipper Suryakumar Yadav (32 in 29 balls, with three fours) and Shivam Dube (27 in 17 balls, with three fours and a six) to take India to a competitive total of 175/7, which proved to be too much for Pakistan on a tough surface where for batters except Kishan, getting boundaries was proving difficult.
Speaking during the post-match presentation, Suryakumar said, "This is for India. We played the same brand of cricket we wanted to play. The way Ishan batted, he batted the same way (he has been batting in the last few games and domestic cricket). Ishan thought something out of the box. At 0-1, someone needed to take responsibility and he did that amazingly."
The Indian skipper admitted that the Men in Blue lost their way in the middle overs, sinking to 126/4 in the 15th over, but he also acknowledged how Tilak (25 in 24 balls, with two fours and a six) held one end steady and the clean finishing by Dube and Rinku Singh (11* in four balls, with a four and a six).
"As soon as we reached 175, we thought it was 15-20 runs over par. 155, it would have been a very tight game. Hardik took the new ball, taking charge. (Jasprit) Bumrah then showed why he is the best in the world. It was great to see everyone contributing. (On how they intend to keep this run going) We'll think about that tomorrow. We go back, have some good time together as a team (tonight) and think about that when we reach Ahmedabad (for the Netherlands clash on February 18)," he concluded.
Ishan Kishan praises Bumrah, Hardik; calls India's win a big confidence booster
After Team India thrashed Pakistan by 61 runs at the Group A match in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, Ishan Kishan reflected on the challenges of batting on a tricky surface and the importance of backing his strengths in a high-pressure India-Pakistan contest.
During the post-match presentation ceremony, Kishan, who got 'Player of the Match' for his blistering 77, said that "The wicket was not that easy. Sometimes, you have to believe and focus on your strengths. I was watching the ball, sticking to my strengths and running as much as possible," Kishan said.
He highlighted the work he has put into improving his offside game to better control the bowlers' lines. "I worked a lot on my off-side game, so I can have them bowl where I want them to."
On a large ground, Kishan emphasised the value of placement. "On a big ground, you get bigger gaps. Trying to hit the gaps, trying to take two runs. Knew we had to put up a total like 160-170, which would be a good total for us," he explained.
Calling the India-Pakistan rivalry special, Kishan added, "India-Pakistan, always a special game, not just for us but for our country as well. They had pretty good spinners on their side. Winning this against Pakistan will give us confidence going forward."
He also reserved special praise for India's pace spearheads Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya. "They bowled tremendously well. Pace bowlers, when I was batting, did not feel like they were doing much for pacers. We know how Jassi can bowl, whether with the new ball or at the death. Credit goes to Hardik for bowling in tight areas and for executing his plans," Kishan added.
