India have qualified for Super 8s in the T20 World Cup 2026.
Following the outcome of the T20 World Cup 2026 India v Pakistan match on Sunday, February 15, Kris Srikkanth has called for an end to the greatest rivalry hype between India and Pakistan. After Pakistan's pathetic surrender in the match in Colombo, Srikkanth claimed that the Indian C squad is sufficient to crush them.
In a match that was once again highly anticipated and turned out to be a one-sided contest, India easily trounced Pakistan by a margin of 61 runs. With victory, India advanced to the tournament's Super 8 stage and improved their record against Pakistan in T20 World Cups to 8-1.
Srikkanth expressed sympathy to the audience for the Pakistani team's inability to compete well against India.
He added that Pakistan is now having trouble finding a good bowler and that the excitement surrounding Shaheen Shah Afridi is over. Srikkanth was very critical of the current batting order, saying that if Babar Azam is Pakistan's key batsman, then the team shouldn't play T20Is.
"That Shaheen Afridi, all that boogeyman hype—finished, gone. Have you seen Pakistan like this live? The likes of Waqar Younis, Imran Khan, and Wasim Akram, and after that so many—Aqib Javed, how many bowlers? Now they are struggling to get one fast bowler. Has cricket deteriorated so much in your country? In batting, there is not even one proper batter. If Babar Azam is your main match player, then leave it; you don’t even need to play T20,” Srikkanth said on his “Cheeky Cheeka” YouTube channel.
"This is one of the worst batting sides of Pakistan I have ever seen. I have seen the likes of Saeed Anwar and Inzamam-ul-Haq, and before that, Rameez Raja—what a batting team that was,” he added.
Srikkanth further criticized the Pakistani team and claimed that even India’s fourth XI and C team would defeat Pakistan.
"Shall I tell the truth? India's fourth eleven will thrash them. They should say, 'We are not available for the main India team; the India C team will play against you. You call us, we will come and beat you. India's C team will beat them," said Srikkanth.
Srikkanth claimed that by choosing to bowl first, Pakistan gave the game to India. The former Indian opener called it absurd and questioned whether skipper Salman Ali Agha or coach Mike Hesson had called.
"On this wicket, Salman Ali Agha went and won the toss and took fielding. From there, the match was done. Actually, it was a ridiculous decision. Who is making the decision? Is it Mike Hesson or Agha? I don't even know," said Srikkanth.
Pakistan will now have to win against Namibia to qualify for the Super 8s round, while India has already done the same.