Saim Ayub removed Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya with successive deliveries, denting India’s innings in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup fixture in Colombo. After those dismissals, India were 126-4.

Ayub produced the first breakthrough by dismissing Tilak Varma. The wicket came at a point when India were building their total, and it returned the pressure to the bowling side by removing a middle-order bat who had been contributing to the scoreboard.

On the very next ball Ayub struck again, this time sending Hardik Pandya back to the pavilion. The two dismissals in consecutive deliveries halted India’s momentum and left their score at 126 for four.

• Back-to-back wickets reduced India to four down and shifted the momentum towards Pakistan.
• The dismissals removed experienced batters during the middle overs, affecting India’s ability to accelerate later in the innings.
• Pakistan gained vital respite after a period in which India had been accumulating runs.

The wickets came during an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup match held in Colombo, a high-profile stage where every breakthrough can alter the course of the contest. Ayub’s double strike will be seen as a significant moment in the match, changing how both sides approach the remaining overs.

India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the second-most populous country, the seventh-largest country by land area, and the most populous democracy in the world. New Delhi is the capital.

It has an exceptionally diverse population, with Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and other religions speaking over 21 recognised languages.

Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It has a population exceeding 212.2 million, including the world’s second-largest Muslim population. It has an area of 881,913 square kilometres (340,509 square miles).

Pakistan has a 1,046-kilometre (650-mile) coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by India to the east, Afghanistan to the west, Iran to the southwest, and China to the northeast. It is separated narrowly from Tajikistan by Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor in the northwest, and also shares a maritime border with Oman.