Experts reckoned 150 would be a winning total at the Premadasa on Sunday night, and India went comfortably past it, finishing 25 runs above par. In reality, even 120 might have sufficed, much like in New York a couple of years ago when India posted 119 and stopped Pakistan at 113. The conditions, though vastly different in character, were equally demanding in Colombo and New York. The defining difference between the two matches, however, was Ishan Kishan.

Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson acknowledged as much. "I think the way Ishan Kishan played, he took the game away from us. And I think to be fair to India, they probably got about 25 above par on that surface." Hesson's estimate, though, felt conservative. India were not just above par; they were 61 runs clear.

If there was one decisive shift from New York to Colombo, it was the head start Ishan gave India. He went beyond mere aggression and rewrote the definition of attack and power in conditions where run-a-ball was largely the average order of the night.

While almost every batter from either side virtually struck to the script of run-a-ball, Ishan operated in a different plane, striking at 192.50. His 77 off just 40 deliveries was both astounding and breathtaking. The second-highest individual score was 32 off 29 balls by Suryakumar Yadav, a batter whose career T20I strike rate stands at an imperious 164.30.

The pitch appeared significantly harder to bat on when India began their innings than when they bowled and considering the difficulty quotient, Ishan's knock was a new benchmark for grit and gumption. His opening partner Abhishek Sharma is known for an equally uncompromising style. His dismissal for naught did not impact Ishan's full throttle approach.

There were multiple demons that could have dragged him back - the enormity of the occasion, the significance of the competition, the team's poor start, and the treacherous nature of the pitch. If that were not enough, the colossal size of the ground posed an added challenge - 74 metres on one side, 84 on the other, and 72 straight down the ground. Back home in India, he is accustomed to much smaller venues. Yet he took on every condition, every bowler and every fielder to clear the fence.

Tilak Varma (24 off 25) - another run-a-ball example - was Ishan's ally, and their second-wicket collaboration was worth 87 runs in eight overs. Tilak, India's hero the last time the two sides met, struggled to get going while at the other end, Ishan was smashing the Pakistan bowlers to smithereens. He struck with such force and power that even the 84-metre boundary seemed inadequate. His audacity was such that he did not fear to go over even when a fielder was placed at the boundary line.

Yet Ishan's was a simple approach with no real frills. A wide, well rounded, slightly whippy and wristy backlift which enables him a more natural on-side shot orientation. He used the off-side equally well to force the bowlers to bowl into his strength. With the ball turning square, he played with a very clear plan - making room on the off side and then waiting for the bowlers to come inside and then hit him away into the leg side.

"I think he's fearless. He's able to score on both sides of the ground. So he's not just committed to the leg side. We know he's incredibly strong there, but he can reverse. So if you've got spin, especially in the power play, it can be a challenge. But I think the fact that he's in a rare vein of form, applied a lot of pressure to our spinners and probably took them away from the basics," Hesson explained the opener's blitzkrieg.

After India slumped to 1 for 1, they surged to 88 for 1 by the ninth over. With Ishan at the crease, the scoring rate hovered around 10 an over and a total of 200 looked a distinct possibility. His dismissal stalled the momentum and in the next eight overs, India managed only 3, 6, 10, 10, 7, 2, 9 and 4 runs, before accelerating in two of the last three overs.

"I think Ishan thought something out of the box. After 0 for 1, there had to be someone taking responsibility in the powerplay and the way he took that responsibility, I think it was amazing. I think we were very ahead in the powerplay," skipper Suryakumar Yadav said, applauding the bold opener.

"The wicket was not that easy in the beginning, but sometimes you just have to believe what you want to play, what shots are on, and you have to just focus on your strength. So I was just keeping it simple and watching the ball and playing with the field, maybe trying to make them run as much as they can, but yeah, I think it worked pretty well on my side," Ishan said looking back at his innings.

The resurgence - and re-emergence - of Ishan on the national scene is the stuff of fairytale. A regular in the Indian team not too long ago, and a player who had even struck a double hundred in an away ODI, he was suddenly banished into the wilderness - out of the Indian setup for 26 months for recusing himself from a tour and missing a few domestic matches. Told to return to the domestic grind, Ishan went back to Jharkhand, led the state to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, himself amassing 517 runs in the tournament. The rest, as they say, should be history.