Indian Skipper Suryakumar Eyes Epic India-Pakistan Showdown in Colombo

Suryakumar's Pre-Match Mindset

Suryakumar, speaking to journalists at the R Premadasa Stadium in this city on Saturday night, acknowledged to reporters that in the back of their minds, he and his respective players would still be mindful of Sunday’s ICC T20 World Cup match against Pakistan.
“We knew we had this game on the 15 th and we have prepared for it. But we want to play good cricket. When you play an India-Pakistan game, it’s more about the occasion. It’s a big platform, obviously,” he said.

No Edge for Pakistan in Conditions

He said the rival had been doing OK recently but didn’t have any notion of any concrete upper hand Salman’s men could get by virtue of having been in Sri Lanka for a while.
“Sri Lanka is close to India. The pitches may be a little different but we have played enough here and know the conditions,” he said.

Abhishek Sharma Set for Comeback

India opener Abhishek Sharma may play the T20 World Cup 2026 against Pakistan at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday. India captain Suryakumar Yadav said that Abhishek might be back into the XI after recovering from a sickness that left him unavailable for the match against Namibia in Delhi.
“Well, if the Pakistan captain (Salman Agha) wants to see Abhishek bat, then okay we will play him,” Suryakumar said.

Banter Between Captains

Suryakumar’s was a nod to Salman’s response about the opening batter, which was that he would love to see him bat in the game.
“We all know he’s a good player and I really hope he plays tomorrow because we want to play against the best team they have. I hope he is recovering well and can play tomorrow,” Salman said.

PCB Bigwigs Head to Colombo

PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi will be in Colombo for Sunday’s Pakistan-India T20 World Cup call. Senior PCB panelists, including Salman Naseer of Pakistan Super League and Chief Operating Officer Sumair Ahmed, are also expected to accompany Naqvi to Sri Lanka.
Pakistan and ICC relations broke out earlier this month when the Pakistan administration ordered its cricket team not to play the India match in Colombo, in support of Bangladesh after Dhaka refused to visit India based on security reasons when attending India for its World Cup fixtures.