New Delhi: India whacking Pakistan, this is turning out to be so often and with such great predictability, marquee cricket matches now
look a mismatch. At the R.Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday night, the Men in Blue decimated Pakistan by 61 runs in the ICC T20 World Cup league match.
The tone for India’s mood on the field was set just after the toss by India skipper Suryakumar Yadav.
He refused to shake hands with his counterpart from Pakistan, Salman Agha.
Few facts need to be stated emphatically, India versus Pakistan, now, is like bullies teasing and slapping the meek. India look just that on a cricket pitch, no matter the venue be the cricket strips in the deserts of the United Arab Emirates, or outskirts of New York, like in 2024.
And now, in Sri Lanka, where rain also decided to stay away on Sunday, it was India who called the shots. No war-like meaning this, the way India crushed Pakistan was akin to a heavyweight bout witnessing the opponent falling on knees.
For sheer hype, India versus Pakistan will always be top of mind.
These days, passionate fans know, India will win. Sunday being Shivaratri, some devout fans were thronging temples with a prayer on their lips – A win for India. The scenes of joy and delight were a contrast, yet the common thread, Indians love their team.
If temples saw cricket fans come with folded hands, Chennai’s Marina Beach, where the match was beamed on a giant make-shift screen, was unadulterated joy. Sea waves were slapping the shores and fans were in delirium. Similar scenes were witnessed all over, in India.
India had a score to settle with Pakistan. After the Asia Cup win last year in Dubai, Mohsin Naqvi, the Pakistani Minister and also ACC boss refused to hand over the trophy to India. He was seated inside the stadium in Colombo on Sunday as well. Not that anyone cared.
For India, the journey from the team hotel to the stadium itself was one of delight. The Sri Lankan Army, not leaving anything to chance, escorted the team bus. Outside the stadium, fans were cheering for India, even though a few seats were empty inside.
Once the contest began, it was sheer joy. India are on a high, two wins before this. To take on Pakistan, they were well prepared.
Jeez, the kind of assault which Ishan Kishan launched against the Pakistani bowlers was scary.
In his return to T20 international cricket, Kishan was on song, scoring with aggression. He had the turbo mode on, which saw India score 175/7.
Ishan Kishan’s 77 was sheer ecstasy, as he slammed ten boundaries and hit three sixes, the geometry of shots catching the eye.
One knock like this was what India needed on a wicket where stroke production was not easy, and the boundaries longer.
Suryakumar Yadav’s 32 off 29 balls may have looked sedate, but on a wicket where strokes were not easy to execute, he waited. After all, for Pakistan, Saim Ayub, who bowled intelligent spin was not easy to read.
As the overs were being eaten up, all-rounder Shivam Dube showed why he is rated so high. His 27 off 17 balls and Rinku Singh’s 11 of four deliveries were effective.
A total of 175 may have looked weak. No, this was not a bad total at all, given the conditions. It was not a batting paradise, and the Indian bowlers were sharp.
The man who can always be trusted, Jasprit Bumrah, rocked the Pakistani top order, where two wickets were just reward. Add to it
one important wicket from Hardik Pandya, Pakistan were being choked.
To be sure, skipper Surya used his bowlers well. Axar Patel was menacing.
He plays mind games and at the same time is naggingly accurate. One man who was a pain for India was Usman Khan, who scored 44. But then, Axar Patel got rid of him as well. Overall, Axar had figures of 2 for 29.
The atmosphere inside the arena was lovely. For India, a new neutral venue was lucky.
And the way the Indian bowlers, pace and spin, throttled Pakistan, Sunday night was all about celebration. To win by such a massive margin proves one thing, India are streets ahead of Pakistan in every walk of life, be it cricket or the war zone.
And for those who still talk of ‘Operation Sindoor,’ Sunday was another classic case of spanking the rogues from Pakistan. Just that, instead of battle uniforms, the Men In Green were equally useless.