"This Win Is For India": Suryakumar Yadav Declares After Statement Win Over Pakistan In T20 World Cup

Ishan Kishan on Sunday said his improved play on the off side was behind his match-winning effort against arch-rivals Pakistan in the T20 World Cup. Kishan's 77 off 40 balls on a tough pitch made the difference as India closed out a comfortable 61-run win over the opposition. It seemed he was batting on a different surface. Kishan, who has been in sizzling form since his India comeback, was pleased with his performance in a "special" game. He usually scores heavily on the leg side, but on Sunday his off-side play was effective too.

"I think the wicket wasn't that easy in the beginning. You just have to believe and focus on your strengths. I wanted to make them run as much as possible to my side. I worked a lot on my off-side play.

"I was just trying to keep it simple. I had in mind that we needed to put up 160-170 runs, and it would be a good total for us. India versus Pakistan is always a special game, not only for us but for our country as well.

"Winning this game against Pakistan will give us a lot of confidence, and we will look to keep the momentum going," said Kishan.

'The win is for India, Ishan Kishan batted out of the box': Surya

India captain Suryakumar Yadav praised Kishan for his sublime effort on a tricky pitch. He also rated India's 175 for seven as a very good total considering the surface.

"I think this win is for India. We played the same brand of cricket that we wanted to play. Batting first was the better option on this wicket. Ishan thought of something out of the box.

"After 0/1, someone had to take responsibility, and the way he took it was amazing. We felt the total was 15 above par. A score of 155 could have been a tight game. It was great to see everyone contributing with the ball. We'll go back, have a good time together as a team, and then think about the other games when we take the flight to Ahmedabad," said Suryakumar.

Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha said the spinners' performance was not up to the mark.

"Our spinners had an off day. Execution was missing in some parts. We believe in our spinners; they've done well in the last six months. We lost too many wickets in the powerplay with the bat. In the first innings, it was tacky, and the ball was gripping as well. The execution was missing with the ball. The pitch played better in the second innings than it did in the first," said Agha.

Pakistan now find themselves in a must-win situation against Namibia to make the Super 8s.

"In these kinds of games, the emotions are always going to be high. We have to deal with it. We have played enough games like this. We have a game in two days' time, so we have to look forward to that. We need to win that game and qualify for the Super Eights. Then it's a new tournament again," Agha added.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Pakistan Cricket Team T20 World Cup 2026 Suryakumar Yadav Ishan Kishan Cricket