Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson stated it was Ishan Kishan’s counter-attacking knock, moderately than a top-order collapse, that proved to be the distinction between the 2 sides in Pakistan’s 61-run submission to India in Colombo.
Hesson stated that his bowlers felt the strain towards the opener and ended up conceding 25 runs greater than the par-score for the circumstances. “The ball was spinning rather a lot initially. The way in which Ishan Kishan performed took the sport away from us. He’s fearless and might rating on either side of the bottom, which makes it a problem for spinners within the PowerPlay. He pressured them away from the fundamentals,” the Kiwi coach stated.
“From a batting standpoint, we didn’t give ourselves an opportunity to get adjusted to the circumstances. They bowled properly up entrance with the seam, and we took just a few poor choices,” he added.
Hesson rebuked the concept the strain of the competition is what causes his group to underperform. “I do know it’s an enormous occasion – Pakistan towards India. However now we have performed some good cricket, successful 5 video games on the bounce. We’re actually dissatisfied we didn’t play in addition to we may,” he stated.
Indian vice-captain Axar Patel additionally heaped reward on Kishan, calling it one in every of his nice knocks in worldwide cricket. “The way in which he batted, it wasn’t straightforward as a result of the ball was spinning. He has carried ahead his type from home cricket, and when the boldness is excessive, you don’t suppose a lot about your self or the wicket,” the spinner stated.
Revealed on Feb 15, 2026