Ishan Kishan plays a shot during an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 cricket match between India and Pakistan, at R Premadasa Stadium, in Colombo, Sri Lanka. (PTI Photo)

TimesofIndia.com in Colombo: On a surface where timing was a luxury and survival itself felt like an act of resistance, Ishan Kishan produced one of the most belligerent innings of the ongoing T20 World Cup. Against Pakistan, on a R Premadasa Stadium pitch that gripped, turned and repeatedly forced batters to check their strokes, Kishan played an innings that lifted India to 175 for 7.The left-hander scored a stroke-filled 77 off 40 balls, while the rest of the Indian batters managed only 98 runs off 80 deliveries.From the very start, the signs were unmistakable. When Shaheen Afridi dug one in short, Kishan swivelled and sent it soaring into the stands. It was not reckless bravado. It was intent. With purchase for the spinners, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha opened the bowling himself and got rid of Abhishek Sharma, the batter everyone was talking about before the match.What transpired was a four-ball duck for Abhishek, who is yet to open his account in the T20 World Cup. Salman’s decision to open the bowling turned out to be a masterstroke. After three dot balls, Abhishek decided to go for a hoick, but the delivery was not there to pull and he miscued it to mid-on, where Shaheen completed an easy catch.Kishan understood early that Pakistan wanted the surface to do the damage. His answer was to stay ahead of it.Spin arrived quickly, and with it came the real examination. The off-spin of Salman Ali Agha and Saim Ayub found turn straightaway, with the ball holding up and deviating sharply off a length. Kishan responded not by retreating into defence, but by expanding his options. Sweeps, slog-sweeps, reverse hits and inside-out strokes flowed in succession, forcing Pakistan’s fielders into constant recalibration.The fifty came off just 27 balls, pumped straight back over the bowler’s head, and it told a story larger than numbers. This was Kishan batting with clarity, reading lengths early and trusting his hands even when his feet were not always planted. At one point, a possible cramp on right leg did little to slow him down. If anything, it sharpened his resolve.Against Abrar Ahmed’s googlies, Kishan showed rare adaptability. When the length was full, he went straight. When it was short, he rocked back and pierced the gaps. Even mistimed strokes fell safe, a testament to how deep Pakistan were forced to set their field. The message was clear. Defensive lines would not work.The most brutal phase came against Shadab Khan. A floated delivery on middle disappeared into the crowd via a ferocious slog-sweep. Another drifted down leg and was punished behind square. Pakistan’s plan of strangling India in the middle overs was being dismantled ball by ball.What made the innings stand out was not just the strokeplay, but the context. This was not a flat track designed for excess. The pitch demanded patience, yet Kishan refused to be trapped by it. He understood that in a high-pressure India-Pakistan contest, momentum matters as much as runs. Every boundary dented belief, every six silenced Pakistani fans in the stands.His dismissal, fittingly, came through craft rather than force. Saim Ayub slowed it down, drew Kishan across the crease and let the surface do the rest. The ball gripped, turned and clipped the top of middle and leg. Pakistan celebrated with visible relief.But, by then, the damage was done.Kishan walked back to a standing ovation, his 77 off 40 balls having completely altered the trajectory of the innings. On a pitch where run accumulation felt like wading through sand, he had sprinted. In a match where margins are thin and conditions often dictate terms, this was an innings that stood apart. It was fearless without being reckless, aggressive without being careless. More than anything, it was a reminder that in the biggest games, the bravest batters do not wait for conditions to improve. They bend them to their will.

Set 2: Alcaraz Responds Strongly

The second set saw a rejuvenated Alcaraz, who bounced back with much-needed intensity. The Spaniard broke Djokovic’s serve early, leading 3-1 with some powerful forehands and precise drop shots.  Alcaraz’s first serve started clicking, and his athleticism allowed him to control the rallies. Despite Djokovic’s relentless attempts to fight back, Alcaraz held firm, taking the set 6-2 to level the match at one set apiece. His fast-moving game and pinpoint volleys left Djokovic scrambling, and the young Spaniard was visibly growing in confidence.

Set 3: Alcaraz Gains the Upper Hand

With the match finely poised at 1-1, Alcaraz took control in the third set. Both players exchanged serves early on, but Alcaraz capitalized on Djokovic’s slight fatigue, breaking his serve to lead 3-1. Djokovic, though battling hard, couldn’t cope with Alcaraz’s precision and pace. The Spaniard wrapped up the third set 6-3, winning his fourth consecutive game to edge ahead in the match.

Set 4: Alcaraz Secures Career Slam Victory

The final set saw Djokovic pushing Alcaraz to the limit. However, the young Spaniard remained unflappable, showing great maturity under pressure. At 5-5, Alcaraz served for the championship, breaking Djokovic’s serve at 7-5. With that, Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest player in history to win the career slam, defeating Djokovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5.

Team GB’s Anastasia Vaipan-Law and Luke Digby produce a season’s best score of 66.07 in the pairs skating short programme event to qualify for the free dance at the 2026 Winter’s Olympics.

FOLLOW LIVE: Winter Olympics – day nine

Available to UK users only.

Zuffa Boxing returns on Sunday with Zuffa Boxing 03 from the Meta APEX in Las Vegas. The event is headlined by a clash between Efe Ajagba and former IBF heavyweight champion Charles Martin.

Ajagba is on the verge of being a top 10 heavyweight in the world and likely would already be considered as such had things broken better for him on the scorecards in his most recent fight. That night, Ajagba took on Martin Bakole, seen as one of heavyweight’s boogeymen, avoided by most in the division for the difficulties he can present to opponents.

Ajagba controlled much of that fight in May 2025, but the scorecards resulted in a majority draw, with one judge scoring the fight 96-94 in Ajagba’s favor and the other two ruling the fight a 95-95 draw.

Sign up for Paramount+ and watch Zuffa Boxing 03 live on Sunday night for no additional fee. Plus, every UFC numbered event and UFC Fight Night is included with the price of your subscription! Plans start as low as $8.99/month or $89.99/year!

Ajagba was rewarded for his performance against Bakole with a proposed IBF title eliminator against Frank Sanchez, who handed Ajagba his lone defeat in a 2021 meeting. Ajagba was unhappy with how the purse bid for the fight shook out and declined to move forward with the bout, ultimately leading to the termination of his contract with Top Rank, which opened the door for the heavyweight contender to sign with Zuffa Boxing.

While Martin does hold the distinction of being a former world heavyweight champion, the circumstances of his title reign are unusual.

Martin won the IBF title in a 2016 bout with Vyacheslav Glazkov that saw Glazkov unable to continue due to a knee injury suffered during a third-round knockdown. Less than 90 days later, Martin was no longer champion, suffering a second-round knockout to Anthony Joshua.

Martin has insisted he was “badly injured” 10 days before the Joshua fight and continued to chase a rematch for years, rising to the fringes of title contention with a few wins before suffering repeated setbacks in the form of losses to Adam Kownacki, Luis Ortiz and Jared Anderson.

After losing to Anderson in July 2023, Martin got back in the win column with a stoppage of unheralded Matthew McKinney the following November. He has not fought since, marking 15 months out of the ring.

The light heavyweight co-main event between Umar Dzambekov and Ahmed Elbiali appears to be the standout fight on the card, with unbeaten Dzambekov looking to continue building his resume against a tough out in Elbiali, whose lone loss came to former world champion Jean Pascal.

Let’s take a closer look at the rest of the fight card for Sunday night with the latest odds before getting to a prediction and expert pick on the main event below.

Zuffa Boxing 03 fight card, odds

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

• Efe Ajagba -1100 vs. Charles Martin +650, heavyweights
• Umar Dzambekov-1400 vs. Ahmed Elbiali +700, light heavyweights
• Abel Mejia -800 vs. Jaybrio Pe Benito +500, lightweights
• Leonardo Ruiz -1400 vs. Casey Streeter +700, middleweights
• Antonio Woods -425 vs. Mark Beuke +300, middleweights
• Oswaldo Molina -1200 vs. Joshua Clark +650, lightweights
• Emiliano Alvarado -2500 vs. Devin Gantt +1000, junior featherweight
• Dariial Kuchmenov -3000 vs. Jorge Lagunas +1000, lightweights

Where to watch Zuffa Boxing 03

Date: Feb. 15 | Location: Meta APEX — Las Vegas
Prelims begin at 6 p.m. ET
Main card begins at 9 p.m. ET
Watch live: Paramount+ (subscribe now for as little as $8.99 per month)

Prediction

As a 31-year-old on a six-fight unbeaten streak who was being lined up for a title eliminator, Ajagba is very much a contender at heavyweight. Martin started his career 23-0 and won a world title, but has fallen very much into a spot as a gatekeeper for the division. That’s not a knock because divisions benefit from gatekeepers; they’re good enough to fend off pretenders, and a win against them carries actual meaning.

Ajagba came up short against Frank Sanchez, which does raise some questions about whether he is ready to fully break through to the upper echelon of heavyweights and if he isn’t, Martin is talented enough to knock him down the ladder. But Ajagba’s performance against Bakole showed he can handle big, awkward heavyweights who carry some power in their fists.

This is a fight set up to get Ajagba a win over a former champion and he should be able to do just that. Pick: Efe Ajagba via UD