T20 World Cup: Suryakumar Hails Ishan’s Responsible 77, Says India Were 15-20 Runs Above Par Against Pakistan

Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav praised Ishan Kishan’s “responsible” yet aggressive knock following India’s 61-run victory over Pakistan, saying the Men in Blue posted a total that was “15-20 runs above par” on a challenging surface.

After Pakistan opted to field first, India were rocked early when Abhishek Sharma fell for his second duck of the tournament. With the team at 0/1, Kishan stepped up and produced a stunning 77 off 40 balls, striking 10 fours and three sixes. His innings combined fearless strokeplay with calculated responsibility, ensuring India recovered strongly from the early setback.

By the time Kishan was dismissed, he had scored a major share of India’s runs, laying the platform for Suryakumar Yadav (32 off 29 balls, with three fours) and Shivam Dube (27 off 17 balls, with three fours and a six) to guide the team to 175/7 in 20 overs. On a pitch where boundaries were hard to come by for most batters, Kishan’s fluency stood out.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Suryakumar said, “This is for India. We played the same brand of cricket we wanted to play. The way Ishan batted, he batted the same way (he has been batting in the last few games and domestic cricket). Ishan thought something out of the box. At 0-1, someone needed to take responsibility and he did that amazingly.”

The Indian skipper admitted that the team briefly lost momentum in the middle overs, slipping to 126/4 in the 15th over after losing Tilak Varma (25 off 24 balls) and Hardik Pandya for a duck. However, he credited Tilak for holding one end steady and acknowledged the finishing efforts of Dube and Rinku Singh, who remained unbeaten on 11 off just four balls, including a four and a six.

“As soon as we reached 175, we thought it was 15-20 runs over par. 155, it would have been a very tight game. Hardik took the new ball, taking charge. (Jasprit) Bumrah then showed why he is the best in the world. It was great to see everyone contributing. (On how they intend to keep this run going) We’ll think about that tomorrow. We go back, have some good time together as a team (tonight) and think about that when we reach Ahmedabad (for the Netherlands clash on February 18),” he concluded.

Pakistan’s run-chase never gained momentum. Early strikes from Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel reduced them to 34/4. Usman Khan fought with 44 off 34 balls, hitting six fours and a six, but lacked support from the other end. Pakistan were eventually bowled out for 114 in 18 overs.

Axar Patel was the pick of the bowlers with 2/29 in four overs, while Hardik (2/16), Bumrah (2/17) and Varun Chakravarthy (2/17) also claimed two wickets each in a dominant team performance.

With this victory, India made it three wins in three matches to stay on top of Group A and seal their place in the Super 8 stage. Pakistan slipped to third with two wins and one loss, while USA occupy second position. India’s overall record against Pakistan in T20 World Cups now stands at eight wins and one defeat.