Rajeev Shukla, vice-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), finally responded to Pakistan's U-turn on Tuesday, agreeing to face archrival India in the T20 World Cup 2026 on February 15 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.  

On Monday night, the Pakistani government altered its decision, declaring that the squad would 'take the field'. The decision came after the International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will not face punishment for failing to go to India to compete in the 20-team competition.

The Pakistani government formally took the decision when the ICC announced that Bangladesh would not be sanctioned and would be granted hosting rights for one ICC event before 2031.

Shukla, the vice-president of the BCCI, who had previously only stated that the board would accept whatever decision was made by the ICC, spoke to a large group of reporters on Tuesday morning and thanked the ICC for its leadership and for reaching a mutually agreeable resolution.

“I am delighted to see the outcome of the deliberations initiated by the ICC representative, supervised by the ICC Chairman and the representatives who had gone to Lahore to talk to the Pakistan Cricket Board as well as the Bangladesh Cricket Board. It's a good, amicable solution that has been found to prioritize cricket's importance,” Shukla told reporters on Tuesday, quoted by ANI.

“This is what has been done. So, all kudos to ICC for taking this initiative, resolving the issue, and bringing cricket back to the forefront. This is a major achievement for ICC. So I would like to thank ICC for taking this initiative and bringing Pakistan to the table, ultimately deciding for Pakistan to play in the Colombo match,” he added.

Shukla also stated that with the IND v PAK contest confirmed, the T20 World Cup 2926 will be a huge success.

“It's good news for all of us, and the scheduled match for February 15 in Colombo will take place. Pakistan will also play. So now this World Cup will also be a big success story. Bangladesh's feelings have also been assuaged as far as these negotiations are concerned, and some relief has been given to their board, and they are also happy. In fact, they have praised ICC for its efforts. It's a win-win situation for everybody, and I'm happy that the match will take place and the World Cup will be a successful event,” Shukla added.

Pakistan initially boycotted the India game in solidarity with Bangladesh after Bangladesh was replaced by Scotland in Group C for the T20 World Cup.