'This is for India': Captain Suryakumar Yadav dedicates Team's impeccable victory over Pakistan to the nation

After creating all the hoo-ha by first boycotting the T20 World Cup 2026 match against India and then taking a U-turn, giving fans a hope for a competitive game, the Pakistan team has disappointed not just their own fans but cricket lovers all around with a terrible show with the bat at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday.

India entered as the favourites in this match, which was touted as a high-pressure game, and emerged victorious with a crushing margin of 61 runs. Pakistan made a blunder by electing to field first after winning the toss, as numbers suggest that teams that bat second seldom win on this surface. Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav said at the toss that they were anyway looking to bat first. India posted 175/7 in 20 overs on the back of a brilliant innings by Ishan Kishan, who scored 77 off 40.

Chasing 178, Pakistan needed a cautious start, but the loss of three wickets in the first 12 deliveries put them on the backfoot from the outset. They needed a partnership which never came and as a result a panicky Pakistan got bundled out at 114 in 18 overs.

India captain Suryakumar Yadav lavishes praise on his team following win vs Pakistan

Following the culmination of the match, a happy Indian captain dedicated the victory to the nation and expressed his thoughts on the overwhelming victory. He praised his team for perfectly implementing their roles.

"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. There was a bit of a slump but that is the beauty of t20 cricket. The way they (Tilak, Dube and Rinku) batted, it is commendable. (On what he felt was par) Difficult to tell when batting first. 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. 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 think about that tomorrow. We go back, have some good time together as a team (tonight) and think about that when we reach Ahmedabad," Suryakumar Yadav said at the post-match ceremony.

India will next take on the Netherlands in their final Group A game on Wednesday, February 18, in Ahmedabad.