ANI |
Updated: 15 Feb. 2026 17:33 IST
Colombo [Sri Lanka]February 15 (ANI): Teams India and Pakistan arrived at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday ahead of the much-anticipated clash in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Considered one of the most intense rivalries in international cricket, the India-Pakistan rivalry has once again captured the world’s attention. As both sides look for a decisive victory in the tournament, expectations are growing for an exciting and fierce battle on the field.
Both India and Pakistan have played two matches in the tournament so far and have won their respective matches. While India entered the competition on the strength of victories over the United States of America and Namibia, Pakistan defeated the Netherlands and the United States.
The Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian team currently tops Group A with four points and a net run rate (NRR) of +3.050, while the Pakistani team is second with four points and an NRR of +0.932.
During the pre-match press conference on Saturday, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav was asked about how the meeting against the 28-year-old Pakistani spinner would go. Suryakumar drew a parallel with a surprise exam question and also emphasized the importance of adaptability when facing a bowler with a unique style.
“You see, sometimes there is also a question in the exam that goes beyond the syllabus. Therefore we cannot leave this question. To solve it, you need to try something. You must accept your own path. And we are trying the same,” Suryakumar said.
“Yes, he (Usman Tariq) is a different character when he comes to bowl. But at the same time, we can’t just give up. We practice with similar bowlers and similar actions. And we will try to implement what we practice in net sessions during the match,” he added.
T20 World Cup squads:
Indian squad: Ishan Kishan (w), Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Abhishek Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar.
Pakistan squad: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Agha(c), Babar Azam, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Fahim Ashraf, Usman Khan(w), Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq, Fakhhar Zaman, Naseem Shah, Salman Mirza, Khawaja Nafay. (ANI)