After losing the toss, India were asked to bat first. The innings began on a shaky note as opener Abhishek Sharma was dismissed for a duck in the very first over.

In a surprising move, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha opened the bowling himself. His sharp delivery caught Abhishek off guard, inducing a miscued shot that was safely caught by Shaheen Shah Afridi.

It marked the second consecutive duck for Abhishek in the tournament, having also fallen for zero against the USA earlier.

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Ishan Kishan Anchors India’s Strong Total

Despite the early setback, Ishan Kishan steadied the innings with a brilliant counter-attacking knock. The left-hander smashed 77 runs off just 40 balls, blending aggression with composure to put pressure back on Pakistan.

His innings powered India to a competitive total of 175/7 in their allotted 20 overs — a score that ultimately proved far beyond Pakistan’s reach.

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Indian Bowlers Seal Dominant Victory

Defending 176, India’s bowling unit delivered a clinical performance. The pacers and spinners worked in tandem to restrict Pakistan’s batting lineup, never allowing them to build sustained partnerships.

Pakistan were eventually bowled out for 114 in 18 overs, handing India a comprehensive 61-run victory — their biggest margin of win against Pakistan in T20 World Cup history.

With this result, India improved their head-to-head record against Pakistan in T20 World Cup matches to 8 wins and just 1 defeat.

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Abhishek Sharma’s Struggles Continue

While the team celebrated a dominant win, Abhishek Sharma’s lean patch remains a concern. After missing the Namibia game due to illness following the USA fixture, he returned but failed to open his account once again.

In his last six T20 appearances, his scores read: 0, 68*, 0, 30, 0, 0 — highlighting inconsistency at the top of the order.

He now joins a short list of players who were dismissed for ducks in their first two T20 World Cup innings, including Ashish Nehra and Imrul Kayes.

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India March Into Super 8 With Confidence

Despite individual setbacks, India’s overall dominance once again underlined their pedigree in ICC tournaments, particularly against Pakistan. With two convincing performances in the group stage, the team now heads into the Super 8 stage brimming with confidence and momentum.

If this performance is any indication, India will remain one of the strongest contenders for the T20 World Cup title.