Hardik Pandya stare down with Farhan [Source: @govindyadav955/x]Hardik Pandya failed to go big with the bat against Pakistan in India’s third Group A match of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The senior Indian all-rounder was dismissed for a first-ball duck after his rash shot off Saim Ayub proved costly for the ‘Men in Blue’ in the middle overs. However, Hardik Pandya initiated India’s dominance with the ball by getting rid of in-form Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan. His first-over breakthrough set the tone for the rest of the innings as Pakistan bundled out for just 114 in 18 overs to fall 61 runs short of Team India. Hardik Pandya gives Sahibzada Farhan a ‘death stare’ to remember Defending 176, Hardik Pandya opened the bowling for Team India alongside fellow paceman Jasprit Bumrah. After starting off the Pakistan innings with three dots, the Indian all-rounder sent down a short delivery outside off stump. Sahibzada Farhan had a wild swipe at it, only for the ball to go straight up in the air. Rinku Singh at mid-on made no mistake as Team India got the wicket of the dangerman in the first over of the run chase. Notably, when the ball went up in the air, Hardik Pandya neither looked at the ball nor towards Rinku. Instead, he stood frozen in place, had his eyes locked on Farhan with an icy, unblinking stare as if he already knew the outcome and was simply letting the moment sink in.Arjun🥀 @Hardik_trends Hardik Pandya did not blink, did not look at the ball, did not even flinch as Sahibzada Farhan lofted him Bro risked his aura for that. Feb 16, 2026, 8:13 AM Hardik, Bumrah and spinners skittle PakistanApart from striking early, Hardik Pandya also delivered the knockout punch to fold Pakistan up for just 114. Jasprit Bumrah also struck in his opening over with a double-wicket blow to the ‘Men in Green’. Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav took up India’s onus in the middle overs as the elite spin trio decimated Pakistan’s middle and lower-order. Part-timer Tilak Varma also chipped in with the wicket of Shadab Khan in his short two-over spell. Earlier in the match, blistering opener Ishan Kishan struck 77 runs off just 40 balls to fuel India’s monumental total of 175-7 in 20 overs. Shivam Dube smeared 27 off just 17 balls in the slog overs to engineer’s India late surge alongside Rinku Singh. Captain Suryakumar Yadav and in-form Tilak Varma held the innings together, albeit in the middle overs. India eventually secured a comprehensive 61-run win to make it 8-1 against Pakistan in T20 World Cup matches. India to face Netherlands, march into Super 8 With three wins in three matches, Team India has qualified for the Super Eight stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. As of now, they are placed at the top of the Group A points table with a formidable NRR of 3.050. The Indian cricket team will now face Netherlands in match number 36 of the tournament on Wednesday, February 18. The match will be hosted by the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad and the action will commence from 7:00 PM IST onwards.
