Colombo [Sri Lanka], February 16 (ANI): Former legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar praised Suryakumar Yadav for injecting situational awareness into India's play after they hammered Pakistan by 61 runs in the ongoing T20 World Cup on Sunday in Colombo.

He highlighted Surya's leadership from the front rescuing India at 77/6 against the USA and then steadying the innings at 88/2 against arch-rivals Pakistan, batting through to the 19th over for 32 runs.

Suryakumar played a decent knock of 32 runs off 29 balls, including three fours, which helped India to reach 175/7 in their 20 overs. With this win, India sealed their spot in the Super 8s stage of the T20 World Cup 2026.

'You have to play according to the situation, and that is what Captain Suryakumar Yadav has done. He has led from the front. In the match against the USA, when India were in trouble at 77 for 6, Surya bailed the team out and here against Pakistan, when he came out to bat, India were at 88-2, and then he batted till the 19th over, scoring 32 runs. Yes, he didn't bat at a high strike rate, but he ensured that the wickets didn't fall, keeping hold of one end. So, the rest of the team understands that in T20 cricket, you don't want dot balls. You want to reduce them, but you also don't want to throw your wicket away trying to hit sixes. Being aware of the match situation, ground conditions, and even which way the wind is blowing is important, and Suryakumar Yadav has brought that awareness into this Indian team,' Sunil Gavaskar said on JioStar.

With the emphatic win over their arch-rivals in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup clash, India now leads 8-1.

Coming to the match, Pakistan elected to field first after winning the toss, and after Abhishek was out for a duck, Ishan's ruthless 77 and Tilak's calm 25 kept India stable, but the Men in Blue sank to 126/4, losing their set batters and all-rounder Hardik Pandya (0).

However, skipper Suryakumar, Shivam Dube, and Rinku Singh finished the innings well, pacing their knocks perfectly in tough conditions. India scored 175/7, with Saim Ayub (3/25) being the top bowler for Pakistan.

In the run-chase, Pakistan sunk to 34/4 courtesy early strikes from Hardik, Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel. Usman Khan (44 in 34 balls, with six fours and a six) was the only one who showed up for the fight, as Team India packed Pakistan for just 114 runs in 18 overs, progressing to the Super 8 stage with their third successive win.

Axar (2/29 in four overs) was the pick of the bowlers for India, with Hardik (2/16 in three overs), Bumrah (2/17 in two overs) and Varun Chakaravarthy (2/17 in three overs) also being amongst the wickets.

India remains on top with three wins in three matches in Group A, while Pakistan has dropped to third with two wins and a loss, and the USA currently occupies second place with two wins and two losses. (ANI)