India suffered a four-wicket defeat against arch-rivals Pakistan in their opening Group C match of the Hong Kong International Sixes 2026 at the Mission Road Ground in Mong Kok on Friday, with captain Krunal Pandya conceding 31 runs in the first over of Pakistan's chase.
Pakistan overhauled India's total of 88 for five in just 3.5 overs, finishing at 91 for two, as openers Khawaja Nafay and Abbas Afridi launched an aggressive assault on the Indian bowling attack. The pair added 59 runs in just 13 deliveries, effectively taking the contest away from India.
The defeat left India at the bottom of Group C, while Pakistan bounced back from their earlier loss to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to register their first victory of the tournament.
๐๐ณ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ถ ๐๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐ณ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ๐ณ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ป๐ฎ๐น
Pakistan captain Abbas Afridi set the tone for the chase by hitting five consecutive sixes off Krunal in the opening over, which yielded 31 runs. The assault immediately put India under pressure, leaving Pakistan needing just 58 more runs from the remaining five overs.
The onslaught continued in the second over as T Natarajan conceded 28 runs, allowing Pakistan to race to 59 without loss after just two overs. Afridi struck 35 off eight deliveries, including five sixes and a four, before Shashank Singh dismissed him in the third over.
Nafay maintained the momentum with a blistering 41 off 12 balls, hitting five sixes and two boundaries. Although Rahul Tewatia dismissed him with Pakistan on 85, the result was already beyond doubt.
Abdul Samad remained unbeaten on seven off three balls, while Irfan Khan struck a six off his first delivery to complete the chase with 13 balls remaining. Shashank and Tewatia claimed one wicket each for India.
๐ฆ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ธ'๐ ๐ญ๐ญ-๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ฐ๐ฌ ๐ด๐ผ๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป
Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and elected to field, restricting India to 88 for five in the allotted six overs despite an explosive innings from Shashank Singh.
Shashank hammered 40 off just 11 deliveries, including five sixes and two fours, at a strike rate of 363.64. He shared a 57-run partnership with Nitish Rana, who contributed 19 off 14 balls before being retired out.
India's opening pair of Rahul Tripathi and Rana struggled to provide the explosive start required in the shortened format. Tripathi scored nine off five deliveries before being dismissed by Muhammad Shahzad, leaving India at 17 for one.
Shashank then accelerated the scoring, helping India reach 74 for one. However, the innings lost momentum when Rana was retired out and both Rahul Tewatia and captain Krunal Pandya were dismissed for first-ball ducks by Abdul Samad.
Shashank fell to Ahmed Daniyal in the final over, while Natarajan remained unbeaten on 12 off six deliveries as India finished at 88 for five.
Samad was Pakistan's most successful bowler, taking two wickets for 10 runs in his only over. Daniyal and Shahzad picked up one wicket each.
๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐บ๐๐๐-๐๐ถ๐ป ๐ด๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ ๐จ๐๐
Pakistan entered the match after suffering a narrow one-wicket defeat against the UAE earlier on Friday. Despite posting 106 for two, Pakistan failed to defend the total as UAE captain Khalid Shah smashed 71 off 20 balls to guide his team to victory.
The win over India revived Pakistan's campaign and moved them to the top of Group C, while India's qualification hopes suffered a setback.
India will now face the UAE on Saturday in their second and final group fixture. A victory will be essential to keep their hopes of progressing to the knockout stage alive, with the group standings and tournament qualification rules determining which team advances.
The semifinals and final are scheduled for Sunday, bringing the three-day tournament to a close.