India vs Pakistan: Ishan Kishan creates history, becomes first Indian opener since 2007 to hit 50

Explosive opener Ishan Kishan etched his name into the record books with a sensational knock against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2026 clash at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The left-hander became the first Indian opener to score a half-century against Pakistan in T20 Internationals since the inaugural 2007 T20 World Cup.

In one of cricket’s most intense rivalries, Kishan rose to the occasion with a breathtaking 77 off just 40 deliveries, smashing 10 fours and three sixes. His fearless stroke play at the top of the order laid a solid foundation for India and electrified the high-voltage encounter.

With this innings, Kishan surpassed former India opener and current head coach Gautam Gambhir on the list of highest individual scores by an Indian in India-Pakistan T20Is. Gambhir’s iconic 75 in the 2007 T20 World Cup final had stood as a benchmark for nearly two decades.

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Kishan was particularly destructive during the powerplay, scoring 42 runs — now the highest individual powerplay score by any batter in India-Pakistan T20I history. In doing so, he went past Shubman Gill’s previous record of 35 runs, set during the Asia Cup 2025 in Dubai.

Riding on Kishan’s explosive knock, India posted a competitive total of 175 for 7 in their allotted 20 overs. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav (32), Shivam Dube (27) and Tilak Varma (25) chipped in with useful contributions but failed to convert their starts into substantial scores. Pakistan had earlier won the toss and opted to field.