Ishan Kishan recreates Virat Kohli's record [Source: X, AFP]Ishan Kishan had a dream outing in the high-voltage India vs Pakistan match, as he smashed a belligerent knock to ensure a blistering start for his team. The high-stakes match at the R. Premadasa Stadium witnessed Ishan's blitzkreig, with the keeper-batter replicating Virat Kohli's elite records in the T20 World Cup. Besides becoming the fourth batter after Robin Uthappa, Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli to score a fifty against Pakistan, Ishan Kishan also registered the third-highest score for India in the mother of all battles. Ishan Kishan recreates Virat Kohli's batting feats in IND vs PAKAfter winning the toss and electing to bowl first, Pakistan had a great start to the match, as skipper Salman Ali Agha got the prized scalp of Abhishek Sharma. However, Ishan Kishan stepped up to the occasion, rescuing India from a precarious situation with a counter-attacking half-century. The swashbuckling southpaw hammered the Pakistani bowlers to all parts of the ground, bringing up his second fifty of the T20 World Cup 2026. He took only 27 balls to reach his fifty, thereby recording the third-fastest half-century in India vs Pakistan T20I matches. He also became the first Indian batter after Virat Kohli to score a T20 World Cup fifty against Pakistan after 2012. Indian Batters who scored 50+ against Pakistan in T20 WCs2007 – Robin Uthappa2007 – Gautam Gambhir2012 – Virat Kohli2016 – Virat Kohli2021 – Virat Kohli2022 – Virat Kohli2026 – Ishan Kishan*Robin Uthappa was the first batter from India to score a T20 World Cup fifty against Pakistan when he struck a valiant knock in the group-stage match of the inaugural edition. Gautam Gambhir smashed a match-winning half-century in the 2007 World Cup final, while Virat Kohli was the only Indian batter to achieve the feat from 2012 to 2022 editions. The explosive left-handed batter finished his innings on 77 runs off just 40 deliveries, thereby recording the third-highest individual score for India against Pakistan in T20 World Cups. Notably, Virat Kohli claims the first two spots, having struck 82* and 78* in the 2022 and 2012 editions, respectively. Highest Individual Score for India vs Pakistan in T20 WCs82* – Virat Kohli, Melbourne, 202278* – Virat Kohli, Colombo (RPS), 201277 – Ishan Kishan, Colombo (RPS), 2026, Tonight*75 – Gautam Gambhir, Johannesburg, 200757 – Virat Kohli, Dubai (DICS), 2021India under pressure vs Pakistan despite Ishan Kishan blitzDespite Ishan Kishan's magnificent knock, India failed to capitalise on the start in the T20 World Cup match against Pakistan. While Tilak Varma huffed and puffed to a sloth-paced 24-ball 25, Suryakumar Yadav struggled to score at a rapid pace. Saim Ayub emerged as Pakistan's go-to man with the ball, scalping the crucial wickets of Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya. However, Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh's timely cameos powered India to a competitive total in the encounter.
