COLOMBO: It was barely five minutes after the match was over at the Premadasa Stadium on Sunday when Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube were back in the middle, bowling on the practice pitches. No over-the-top celebrations, no outpouring of emotions, just a sense of another routine victory against a Pakistan team that India don’t think are their match at the moment.The 61-run win, the fourth on the bounce after their hat-trick of victories against their once arch-rivals in the Asia Cup, has now ensured a Super-8 spot for India. A lot had happened in the build-up to this game and even on Sunday, the much-anticipated handshakes between the captains didn’t happen.While the discomfort off the pitch persisted, India were just too much when the ball rolled. Even a few months ago, Ishan Kishan (77 off 40 balls) wasn’t even close to a spot in the Indian T20 team. But now that he is there, the 27-year old is proving that he can give his teammate Abhishek Sharma a run for his money as the best T20 opener in the world.Abhishek’s early dismissal on a slow Premadasa track could have been a big blow, but not when Ishan was in the form that he is in. The Pakistan bowlers were dealt with contempt and the cuts and sweeps that the Jharkhand boy unleashed took India to 52 runs in the first six overs, which was at least 20 over par on this track.“The pitch was not that easy. Sometimes, you just have to believe and focus on your strengths. I was just watching the ball, sticking to my strengths and making them run as much as possible,” Man of the Match Kishan said at the end of the match.After his exit, India showed smartness to reach a total of 175 against some quality spin, pushing Pakistan into taking tremendous risks right at the beginning of their chase.They were not up for it with Jasprit Bumrah (2-17) and Hardik Pandya (2-16) doing the early damage. The spinners, who bowled 18 of Pakistan’s 20 overs, came into play for India only after the pacemen had all but sealed the deal.“This is for India. We played the brand of cricket we wanted to play. We thought 175 was 15-20 runs over par — 155 would have made it a very tight game,” captain Surya Kumar Yadav said, as the thousands of touring Indian fans went home a happy lot.This story continues on page 17 in the newspaper. For your reading convenience we have added it below.Jaishankar on Russia ties: Firmly wedded to strategic autonomyNew Delhi: External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Saturday said India remains firmly committed to strategic autonomy, even as the global energy markets evolve and partnerships shift. He was responding to a question at the Munich Security Conference whether a recent trade agreement with the US would affect New Delhi’s energy ties with Russia and if India was finding it difficult to exercise its strategic autonomy in the current circumstances.India maintains its energy policy is driven by national interests and the actual crude sourcing is done by oil companies taking into account pricing, reliability and other market conditions.“We are very much wedded to strategic autonomy because it’s a part of our history and our evolution. It’s something which is very deep, and something which cuts across the political spectrum as well,” he said.Addressing concerns over energy sourcing, the EAM described the global oil market as complex and dynamic, stressing that commercial considerations guide procurement decisions.“As for energy issues, this is a complex market today. Oil companies in India, as in Europe, as probably in other parts of the world, look at availability, look at costs, look at risks and take the decisions that they feel are in their best interest,” he noted.Jaishankar said that in a rapidly changing global environment, countries continuously reassess their calculations and partnerships.“So many things are changing, and so many of us are doing our calculations and recalculations,” he said, adding while India may not agree with all partners on every issue, dialogue and a willingness to find common ground remain important.“We would not necessarily agree on everything but I do believe that by doing that, and if there is an inclination to find common ground and overlaps, that would happen,” he said.Noting India’s independent decision-making, he said, “If the bottom line of your question is would I remain independent-minded and make my decisions? And would I make choices which sometimes may not agree with your thinking or somebody else’s thinking, yes, it can happen.”He met with G7 foreign ministers and their global counterparts at the Munich Security Conference 2026, reiterating India’s support for the UN80 agenda and underscoring New Delhi’s role in safeguarding global security.Jaishankar also stressed on India’s role in safeguarding sea lines of communication, acting as a first responder in crises, strengthening port security and contributing to resilient submarine cable infrastructure.
