In the T20 World Cup 2026 clash vs Pakistan, Ishan Kishan scored 77 off 40 balls on a tough Colombo pitch. His fearless knock, including the fastest IND-PAK WC fifty, drew praise as a stunning redemption arc and game-changing innings.
Team India opener Ishan Kishan lit up Colombo with his blazing knock in the T20 World Cup 2026 clash against Pakistan at the R Premadasa Stadium in Sri Lanka’s capital on Sunday, February 15.
Putting into bat first by Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha, Team India posted a respectable total of 175/7 in 20 overs. Ishan Kishan led the batting with a brilliant knock of 77 off 40 balls, including 10 fours and 3 sixes, at an impressive strike rate of 192.50 on a challenging surface where other Indian batters struggled to find momentum.
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav (32), Shivam Dube (27), and Tilak Varma (25) made valuable contributions to propel Team India to a defendable total on the board, despite struggling to maintain momentum through the middle overs on a testing surface. The likes of Abhishek Sharma (0), Hardik Pandya (0), and Axar Patel (0) failed to make an impact, falling cheaply and adding pressure on the middle order.
Ishan Kishan’s Show in Colombo
Ishan Kishan put up a brilliant performance that is likely to go down as one of the best knocks by an Indian batter against Pakistan at the T20 World Cup. After Abhishek Sharma’s early dismissal, the onus fell on the southpaw to carry on India’s innings, with Tilak Varma joining him at the crease.
Ishan Kishan was unfazed by the atmosphere surrounding the clash and the pressure after Abhishek Sharma’s wicket as he brilliantly took charge of India’s innings, starting off with a six off Shaheen Afridi. The left-handed opener’s acceleration in the powerplay helped the Men in Blue past the 50-run mark in the first six overs of the innings, with Ishan’s aggressive strokeplay and fearless intent kept the scoreboard ticking at a brisk.
Scroll to load tweet…
Despite the tricky surface, Ishan Kishan completed his half-century in just 27 balls, showcasing his adaptability to different conditions. The southpaw formed a crucial 87-run stand for the second wicket before he was dismissed by Saim Ayub, ending Pakistan’s frustration with Ishan Kishan’s blazing performance.
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Ishan Kishan accounted for 76 runs in his 87-run partnership with Tilak Varma, meaning that he contributed 87.36% of the runs in that crucial stand. This shows how dominant the southpaw was in steering India’s innings and keeping Pakistan’s bowlers under relentless pressure throughout the partnership.
‘Redemption Arc of Ishan Kishan’
Ishan Kishan’s performance with the bat became the most talked-about among fans and cricket enthusiasts as they were in awe of his fearless strokeplay, clinical timing, and ability to rise to the occasion even on a tough pitch, where other Indian batters struggled to get going.
Taking to their X handles (formerly Twitter), fans and cricket enthusiasts lavished praise on Ishan Kishan’s dominant display of batting with his fearless and aggressive strokeplay, while hailing his innings as ‘a knock for ages’ and lauding his strike rate nearing 200 on a challenging pitch.
Others celebrated Ishan’s redemption arc after being ignored by the selectors for two years despite his consistent performance in domestic cricket, crediting him for winning the powerplay and dominating on a challenging pitch.
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Ishan Kishan made his return to Team India in the T20I series against New Zealand and was the second–highest run-getter with 215 runs, including a century and a fifty, at an average of 53.75 and a strike rate of 231.18 in four matches.
His impressive performance resulted in getting promoted as an opener alongside Abhishek Sharma and repaid the faith of the team management, scoring 53 off 24 balls at a strike rate of 265.00 in a warm-up match against South Africa.
In the ongoing T20 World Cup, Ishan Kishan is the leading run-getter for India with 158 runs, including two fifties, at an average of 52.66 and an impressive strike rate of 197.50 in three matches.