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Where did it go wrong for Pakistan?
Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson says the decisive errors arrived in two short bursts rather than at the toss. India’s 61-run win – the heaviest margin between the neighbours in this format – left Pakistan picking through overs 5-8 with the ball and the opening powerplay with the bat, both of which, in Hesson’s view, slipped away through muddled thinking.
Key facts first
• India 187 for 6, Pakistan 126 all out – defeat by 61 runs
• Overs 5-8: Ishan Kishan struck 52 off 24 balls, India surged from 23-1 to 75-1
• Powerplay of Pakistan chase: 38-4, Bumrah swinging the new ball, two wickets in four balls
• Result: India go top of Group B, Pakistan now need two wins from two to stay alive
Hesson’s immediate reaction
“When the guys are putting you under pressure, are you going to stick to your basics or are you going to go away from that?” Hesson asked, minutes after walking off the Chinnaswamy outfield. “And that’s going to be a real challenge as the tournament progresses: we’ll be put under pressure again and that’s how we respond when you are under the pump.”
The batting collapse
Saim Ayub received a near-perfect yorker from Jasprit Bumrah – no real crime there – yet the next three wickets annoyed Hesson. Sahibzada Farhan holed out off a slower ball, Salman Agha miscued an off-drive, Babar Azam picked out deep midwicket. All arrived inside the first six overs.
“All these guys are international players, they’re all good players,” Hesson said. “But when the pressure comes on are they going to trust the decision making or are they going to probably go outside there? And today, pressure made us go outside there and that’s something that for us to progress further in this tournament, it’s something we are going to have to get better at.”
Why chase looked bigger than it was
India’s 187 appeared only slightly above par on a used Bengaluru surface, yet Pakistan’s top order, aware of the depth in India’s bowling, tried to grab the game immediately.
“I think they can (overthink),” Hesson admitted. “When you see a score and you know that it’s probably a little bit above par, you almost feel like you’re going to play like a Superman and take the game on earlier than the conditions allow you to.”
Kishan’s cameo – 47 off 22 balls – had already highlighted the value of waiting for the pace on the ball. Pakistan, by contrast, over-hit. “We lost wickets early on to shots that I’m sure on that surface they were pretty tough, tough options. On a quicker surface, (like) SSC, might be a little bit different. So it is about adapting and we’ve been really good the last few months about adapting to different conditions. Today we probably took a little step back.”
Was the toss a blunder?
Plenty on social media said yes. Hesson does not buy it.
“Both sides were going to bowl first because the pitch was soft and the ball spun twice as much in the first innings than the second,” he argued. “The ball skidded on (in the first innings). So there’s nothing wrong with the decision to bowl first.”
Field execution, he felt, was the larger issue: Pakistan leaked 28 singles in Kishan’s assault, missed two run-out chances and delivered four full tosses in the death overs that Hardik Pandya dispatched for 18 runs.
Context from the experts
Former India captain Anil Kumble, working on television, pointed to length. “Once the ball got older, you had to be back of a length. Pakistan were too full,” he said. Sanjay Bangar added that “India batted 20 balls without a boundary after the powerplay, yet kept wickets in hand – that was the difference.”
Next steps for Pakistan
The equation is uncomplicated: beat Zimbabwe on Wednesday and Australia on Saturday, or head home early. Hesson, who has built his reputation on calm resets, kept his tone measured.
“There’s disappointment, of course, but we’ve also played some very good cricket recently,” he said, before boarding the team bus. “We’ll review, we’ll train tomorrow evening, then it’s about bringing that clarity back. One bad night can’t define a campaign.”
Balanced, not broken
India deserved the plaudits – Bumrah’s skilful new-ball spell and Kishan’s fearless intent set up the contest – yet the margins, as Hesson repeatedly emphasised, still live between ears rather than only in technical skill. If Pakistan tidy those pressure decisions, a semi-final spot remains plausible. If not, Bengaluru may linger as the night everything unravelled.
