New Delhi: India’s thumping victory over rivals Pakistan in the ICC T20 World Cup was not just another victory – it was Sachin TendulkarIn his words, it was a power play takeover itself.Push boundaries with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!The batting icon summed up the decisive phase of the night in a post on X. “The power play is where India took the game away from them. Ishan Kishan in the first innings, and the clinical bowling we saw in the second innings, made all the difference. We’re always in the driver’s seat. India is rocked tonight,” he wrote.
The early gains came despite a shaky start. After Abhishek Sharma fell for a duck, Kishan struck back and immediately changed the momentum by blasting a brutal 77 off just 40 balls. Tilak Varma scored a steady 25 runs and skipper Suryakumar Yadav (32 runs), Shivam Dube (27 runs) and Rinku Singh (11 not out) finished the match with aplomb to lift India to 175/7. Saim Ayub (3/25) is Pakistan’s standout bowler with three wickets.If Kishan takes the initiative, the Indian bowlers seal the victory. Hardik PandyaJasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel struck out of the top order, reducing Pakistan’s inside strength to 34/4. Usman Khan scored 44 all by himself but Varun Chakaravarthy and others ensured that Pakistan were bowled out for 114 in 18 overs.pre-opener Virender Sehwag I couldn’t hold it back either. “Ishan Kishan is playing like a true Dhurandhar. Of all the minnows, Pakistan look the easiest to beat for Bharat as they adopt a 17th century approach to T-20 cricket and they are duly batted as usual. Complete kambal kuttai,” he wrote.The overwhelming victory gave India a dominant head-to-head record of 8-1 in the tournament’s history and sealed their spot in the Super 8 with three consecutive wins.
