Kishan's 'power play' takes India to 175/7 as Pakistan spinners prove a point; 'no handshake' at toss

Immediately after a repeat of the 'no handshake' drama at the toss, India suffered a jolt with Abhishek Sharma (0) sent back by Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha. But Ishan Kishan came to the rescue with a solid 77 off 40 to steer India to 175/7 in 20 overs.

Left-hander Kishan's counter-attack proved effective against Pakistan's slow bowlers, but once he fell, castled by Saim Ayub, India lost the plot in the middle overs. Ayub was the pick of the Pakistani bowlers, bagging 3/25 from his four overs, and taking two smart catches.

Suryakumar and Shivam Dube provided a decent finish to set up the highest total between the sides in a T20 World Cup. India made 15 off Pakistan's 20th over delivered by Shaheen Shah Afridi. Mystery spinner Usman Tariq removed India captain Suryakumar (32) in the penultimate over, giving away just five runs.

Tilak Varma (25) and Suryakumar held a 38-run stand for the third wicket, but Ayub struck again. Varma played across and was trapped leg before.

Then came the big blow as Hardik Pandya fell in the first ball, trying to show that he could clear the big boundaries at the R Premadasa Stadium, only to find Babar Azam at long off. Spinner Ayub so nearly claimed a hat-trick, but the ball somehow missed Shivam Dube's bat and the off stump.

Earlier, the pre-match rituals mattered as much as the game itself. But as expected, captains Suryakumar and Agha ignored each other. Called the toss and went their separate ways. Agha opted to bowl after winning the toss.

Destructive left-hand opener Abhishek had been recalled in place of Sanju Samson, while Kuldeep Yadav was included in place of Arshdeep Singh. Both India and Pakistan won their first two matches in Group A.

Brief scores: India 175/7 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 77, Suryakumar Yadav 32, Shivam Dube 27, Tilak Varma 25, Saim Ayub 3/25) vs Pakistan