India and Pakistan are set to face off in a much-awaited group-stage clash at the T20 World Cup 2026 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday, February 15. The clash, which had been in doubt due to the Pakistani government's boycott call, will finally take place after the U-Turn of the Shehbaz Sharif-led government.
However, the tensions in the India-Pakistan clashes have grown much more since the Asia Cup 2025 due to the rise in political issues between the two countries in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.
With a section of Indian fans calling to boycott Pakistan in the Asia Cup, the Indian team avoided any friendly gestures with their opponents. This included the Indian players avoiding a handshake with their Pakistani counterparts. And ahead of India's upcoming clash against Pakistan, India skipper Suryakumar Yadav was asked about the pressing issue.
SKY kept his lips mostly tight as he did not detail anything about the topic. "Wait for 24 hours. Eat well, sleep well, we will see tomorrow," SKY said in the press conference on the eve of the game.
Pakistan have advantage in Colombo: Suryakumar Yadav
Meanwhile, the Indian skipper also admitted that the Pakistan team will have an advantage in the upcoming clash as they are already playing their matches in Colombo. "They (Pakistan) have been playing some good cricket; they’ve been playing here, so they have a bit of an advantage. But we want to focus on what we need to do, not them," Suryakumar said.
Abhishek Sharma to play against Pakistan: SKY reveals
Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha hoped for Abhishek Sharma to play in the clash as he wants a full-strength Indian line-up. Suryakumar was also asked whether the hard-hitting opener would recover in time for the fixture after having missed the previous match against Namibia due to a stomach bug. "If Pak wants us to play Abhishek, then done. He will play tomorrow,” Suryakumar said.
ALSO READ | Abhishek Sharma will play vs Pakistan in T20 World Cup? Suryakumar Yadav answers
