Ishan Kishan's Blazing 77 Powers India to Dominant 61-Run Win Over Pakistan

During the post-match presentation ceremony, Kishan, who got 'Player of the Match' for his blistering 77, said that "The wicket was not that easy. Sometimes, you have to believe and focus on your strengths. I was watching the ball, sticking to my strengths and running as much as possible," Kishan said.

He highlighted the work he has put into improving his offside game to better control the bowlers' lines. "I worked a lot on my off-side game, so I can have them bowl where I want them to."

On a large ground, Kishan emphasised the value of placement. "On a big ground, you get bigger gaps. Trying to hit the gaps, trying to take two runs. Knew we had to put up a total like 160-170, which would be a good total for us," he explained.

Calling the India-Pakistan rivalry special, Kishan added, "India-Pakistan, always a special game, not just for us but for our country as well. They had pretty good spinners on their side. Winning this against Pakistan will give us confidence going forward."

He also reserved special praise for India's pace spearheads Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya. "They bowled tremendously well. Pace bowlers, when I was batting, did not feel like they were doing much for pacers. We know how Jassi can bowl, whether with the new ball or at the death. Credit goes to Hardik for bowling in tight areas and for executing his plans," Kishan added.

Coming to the match, Pakistan won the toss and chose to field first. The masterclass knock by Ishan Kishan (77 off 40) and crucial knocks from skipper Suryakumar Yadav (32 in 29 balls, with three fours) and Shivam Dube (27 in 17 balls, with three fours and a six) took India to a competitive total of 175/7 on a tough pitch.

Ayub (3/25 in four overs) was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan, while Shaheen Shah Afridi (1/31 in two overs), Usman Tariq (1/24 in four overs) and Agha (1/10 in two overs) were also among the wickets.

During the run-chase, Pakistan was off to a nightmarish start as Sahibzada Farhan fell for a four-ball duck to Hardik Pandya, with Rinku Singh getting a top-edge, removing him for a four-ball duck.

In the next over, Jasprit Bumrah trapped Saim Ayub lbw for just six, while he also removed skipper Salman Ali Agha for four. Pakistan was 13/3 in two overs.

Babar Azam started off his innings slowly, while Usman Khan counter-attacked with two successive boundaries against Axar Patel in the fifth over. But the spin all-rounder had the last laugh, removing Babar for a seven-ball five, sinking Pakistan to 34/4.

At the end of 10 overs, Pakistan was 71/4, with Usman (43*) and Shadab (12*) unbeaten. The partnership of 39 balls was broken by Axar as Ishan Kishan pulled off a brilliant stumping to remove Usman for 34-ball 44, with six fours and a six. Pakistan was five down at 73 in 10.4 overs.

Mohammed Nawaz (4) was caught by Shivam Dube, with Kuldeep getting the sixth wicket, and Pakistan's score was just 78 in 11.4 overs.

Pakistan's downfall got even worse as Shadab (14) got dismissed by Tilak Varma, with Dube plucking another catch. Pakistan was 78/7 in 12.1 overs.

Rinku's safe pair of hands gave Varun Chakravarthy his first wicket, removing Faheem Ashraf for a sluggish 14-ball 10. Pakistan sank to 97/8 in 15.3 overs and on the very next ball, Abrar Ahmed was trapped lbw for a golden duck. Pakistan was one wicket away from a humiliating loss.

However, Pakistan earned a moral victory as they crossed the 100-run mark in 16.1 overs.

Hardik completed the win by cleaning up Usman, bundling out Pakistan for 114 runs in 18 overs.

Axar Patel (2/29 in four overs) was the pick of the bowlers for India, with Hardik Pandya (2/16 in three overs), Jasprit Bumrah (2/17 in two overs) and Varun Chakaravarthy (2/17 in three overs) also being amongst the wickets.

- ANI