The India versus Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 fixture will go ahead as scheduled after the Government of Pakistan made a dramatic U-turn on its proposed boycott following discussions with International Cricket Council (ICC) officials, directing the national team to take the field against India on February 15 in Colombo.
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 batter Tilak Varma also reacted to the development, saying that the defending champions are excited to face Pakistan in the global showpiece.
“To be honest, we are very excited to play. We got to know that the match is going to take place the day before. We are ready to play. We are watching all the teams. We are watching the bowlers and the batsmen. All the players and team members are ready to play. Now, we are in the match zone. The planning will start,” said Tilak on the eve of the Namibia game in New Delhi on Thursday.
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.
Talking about his team’s preparations for the marquee clash, Tilak added: “We are going one by one in every match, so we will see, we have video analysis, we have the technology, so we will see how we are playing, how the wicket is behaving. We have already prepared, so everyone has different shots in their team, so the shots that we have to play in the wicket, the bowlers we have to target.”
Earlier, India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has said that their 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 on Tuesday.
“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," the Dutchman further remarked.
(With PTI Inputs)
