COLOMBO: Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson said his players were deeply disappointed after a crushing 61-run defeat to arch-rivals India in their T20 World Cup Group A clash in Colombo on Sunday.
Defending champions India posted 175-7 at the R. Premadasa Stadium before bowling Pakistan out for 114 in 18 overs. The result extended Pakistan’s poor World Cup record against India to 1-8 in T20 tournaments and maintained India’s unbeaten run against their rivals in ODI World Cups.
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“There’s a pretty disappointed dressing room in there because they know how much it means to Pakistan,” Hesson said after his side’s fourth straight loss to India since last year’s Asia Cup. “We obviously won five games on the bounce before today so we were confident, but we got outplayed.”
India recovered from an early setback through Ishan Kishan, whose fluent 77 anchored the innings after opener Abhishek Sharma fell in the first over. Contributions from Suryakumar Yadav (32) and Shivam Dube (27) lifted India to a competitive total on a turning surface.
Pakistan’s chase collapsed to 13-3 when pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah removed Saim Ayub and captain Salman Agha in the same over. Usman Khan top-scored with 44 but lacked support as wickets fell steadily.
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Hesson defended the decision to bowl first despite previous matches at the venue favouring teams batting first, saying early spin offered encouragement before Kishan “took the game away”.
India’s third win in as many matches secured qualification for the Super Eights, while Pakistan must beat Namibia to stay in contention. Vice-captain Axar Patel hailed Kishan’s innings as “sensational” on a difficult pitch, crediting his form and versatility for India’s dominant victory.