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The Indian cricket team arrived at Colombo airport to depart for India on Monday afternoon after defeating Pakistan comfortably in a one-sided clash held at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday.
The Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian side will fly to Ahmedabad, Gujarat, where they are scheduled to play their last Group A fixture against the Netherlands on Wednesday at the Narendra Modi Stadium. They have already qualified for the Super 8 with three wins in as many matches and will aim to maintain momentum by securing another win in Ahmedabad. India and Sri Lanka are co-hosting the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, and all of Pakistan's matches are scheduled in Sri Lanka. In the Colombo fixture, India defeated Pakistan by 61 runs in the highly-anticipated clash. The match was played against a dramatic backdrop: Pakistan had initially announced a boycott of the fixture against India, but later reversed their decision and participated. On Sunday, Pakistan elected to field first after winning the toss. After Abhishek was out for a duck, Ishan's 77 and Tilak Varma's 25 kept India stable, but the Men in Blue sank to 126/4, losing their set batters and all-rounder Hardik Pandya (0). However, skipper Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, and Rinku Singh finished the innings well, pacing their knocks perfectly in tough conditions. India scored 175/7, with Saim Ayub (3/25) being the top bowler for Pakistan. In the run-chase, Pakistan were reduced to 34/4 courtesy early strikes from Hardik, Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel. Usman Khan (44 off 34 balls, with six fours and a six) was the only one who showed up for the fight, as Team India packed Pakistan for just 114 runs in 18 overs, progressing to the Super 8 stage with their third successive win. Pandya (2/16 in three overs) was the pick of the bowlers for India, with Bumrah (2/17 in two overs), Axar Patel (2/29 in four overs) and Varun Chakaravarthy (2/17 in three overs) also being amongst the wicket-takers. India remains at the top with three wins in three matches in Group A, while Pakistan has dropped to third with two wins and a loss, and the USA currently ranks second with two wins and two losses. With the emphatic win over their arch-rivals in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup clash, India now leads the T20 World Cup head-to-head scoreline against Pakistan by 8-1. (ANI)
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