The marquee India vs Pakistan fixture will go ahead as scheduled on February 15 in Colombo.
The Pakistan government has made a dramatic U-turn, directing its men’s cricket team to play the scheduled T20 World Cup 2026 group-stage match versus India on February 15 in Colombo.
The change in stance came a day after a meeting in Lahore, involving officials from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), and the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Reactions have been pouring in from all quarters after the Salman Ali Agha-led side received clearance to take the field against the arch-rivals.
India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate also reacted to the development, saying that the defending champions were always mentally prepared to face Pakistan.
The Dutchman made it clear that the Indian dressing room never allowed off-field theatrics to affect its preparations and Pakistan’s U-turn has only strengthened the team’s focus.
“First of all, I think it’s great that the game is back on, we never changed (our) preparation (or thought) that the game wasn’t going to happen. We always had an impression that something would transpire and we would play, so it’s not a big change in the way we go about things," ten Doeschate told reporters in Delhi on Tuesday (February 10).
“We kind of got confirmation late yesterday. Early this morning, it started coming through that the game was going ahead. We’d like to have another chance to play against a quality side and it’s good for the team," he added.
“We try and stay clear of all the politics. I’ve mentioned before about the sentiments of the country and know the different politics between the two countries. But I think it’s really important for us just to focus on the cricket side of things," he further remarked.
India kicked off their campaign with a 29-run victory against the USA in Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on February 7. The Men in Blue will next face Namibia in Delhi on February 12, followed by matches against Pakistan in Colombo on February 15 and Netherlands in Ahmedabad on February 18.
According to the assistant coach, clarity over Pakistan’s participation will allow both teams to focus on preparations.
“No, like I said, you know we kind of accepted that as a status quo and until we got there and they didn’t show up we were assuming we were going to play," he said.
Ten Doeschate acknowledged that Pakistan hold an edge, having already spent considerable time in Colombo.
“It’s going to be a challenge going to Colombo, where Pakistan have been for the last two weeks and we’re fully focused on just bringing our best game to that fixture next week," he stated.
(With inputs from Agencies)