The India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 match has ended once again in favour of Suryakumar Yadav’s side. The Men in Blue had complete dominance over an inform Pakistan side. Given the conditions in Sri Lanka, Pakistan has been acquainted with the conditions; however, it was a complete one-sided game in the end.
After being put into bat first, India lost Abhishek Sharma early. But Ishan Kishan demolished the Pakistan bowlers, as the left-handed opener smashed them all over the park. While he was batting, he made the pitch look completely different. Ishan was excellent with his 77 runs off 40 balls as India posted a good total of 175/7 in their 20 overs.
Pakistan needs to work on the batting department
While coming out to chase, it looked like Pakistan were never in the chase, losing out their top order in the first couple of overs with the score being 13/3. They were even struggling to get 100 runs at one point in time. However, finally they were bowled out for 114 runs, with Hardik Pandya finishing the game picking the wicket of Usman Tariq.
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After the 61-run loss, Salman Ali Agha’s side has slid down to third position in Group A, as they have the same points as the USA; however, their net run rate has gone down to minus. This has been a concern for the side, who face Namibia in the final game of the group on 18th February at the Sinhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground, Colombo.
How will Pakistan qualify for the Super 8s after losing to India?
Namibia has not won a match in the competition, but it will look to finish high and win against the Men in Green on Wednesday. However, the equation for Pakistan is simple: to win the game against the African nation and qualify for the Super 8 stages.
In case there’s a washout, Pakistan will qualify in terms of points. However, a loss against Namibia will see them go out of the tournament once again in the group stages. If this happens, they will be knocked out of the group stage in back to back edition of the T20 World Cup.
The Men in Green, after winning their first two games against the Netherlands and the USA, found themselves in good form until they met India, who made them look like a simple opponent. India extended their lead 8-1 in the nine meetings in the T20 World Cup history.
Which Group will Pakistan be seeded in the Super 8s?
If Salman Ali Agha’s side qualifies, they are already pre-seeded in Group 2 alongside England, New Zealand, and co-hosts Sri Lanka. So they have a chance to qualify for the semi-finals of the competition, and even the finals as well, if they win their final group game against Namibia. The Men in Green will be under a huge amount of pressure, as they themselves have lost their advantage to qualify for the knockouts.
India, after this win are on a sensational run in ICC tournaments. Over the past four major events, India has lost just one of 27 matches across the 2023 ODI World Cup, 2024 T20 World Cup, 2025 Champions Trophy, and this year’s T20 event.
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