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.
Earlier, the Men in Green were asked to boycott the marquee fixture as an act of solidarity with Bangladesh after the ICC replaced the Tigers with Scotland in the 20-tournament for refusing to travel to India citing 'security concerns'.
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.
Legendary India opener Sunil Gavaskar also reacted to the development, stating that Pakistan should have opted out of the tournament instead if they truly wished to stand with Bangladesh.
"They said that they stood with Bangladesh. Because Bangladesh was not allowed to have its matches in Sri Lanka, how can you say that you have stood with them? Bangladesh is out of the tournament. Because of these special circumstances, the ICC was never going to withhold Bangladesh's appearance money or penalise it. I don't think that could have happened because it was such a last-minute situation," Gavaskar told India Today.
"To say that you have helped Bangladesh get their share of the pie-sure, you might have got them their share of the pie. But have you got them back into the tournament? You haven't. If you really stood with Bangladesh, you should have also opted out of the entire tournament. Why are you only skipping the India match? India is not the only one to object to Bangladesh's request. There were 11 or 12 other countries that said Bangladesh's matches could not be shifted to Sri Lanka, but you are still going to play them. So what are you talking about?" he added.
India hold a dominant 7-1 record over Pakistan in ICC T20 World Cups. The defending champions kicked off their campaign with a 29-run victory against the USA in Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on February 7. They will next face Namibia in Delhi on February 12, before locking horns with Pakistan and Netherlands (on February 18 in Ahmedabad).
On the other hand, Pakistan will enter the high-pressure match on the back of victories against the Netherlands and USA.
