COLOMBO: Brace yourself. Another Pakistan-India cricket blockbuster is coming.

The arch-rivals will clash in the T20 World Cup Group ‘A’ match in Colombo on Sunday, still feeling the aftershocks of a tumultuous fortnight in which Pakistan’s boycott call, which was later reversed, nearly blew a hole in the tournament’s marquee fixture.

With bilateral cricket a casualty of their fraught relations, emotions run high whenever the bitter neighbours lock horns in multi-team events at neutral venues.

India’s strained relations with another neighbour, Bangladesh, have further tangled the geopolitics around the World Cup.

When Bangladesh were replaced by Scotland in the 20-team field for refusing to tour India over safety concerns, the regional chessboard shifted. The Pakistan government, in solidarity with Bangladesh, decided to boycott the match against India, a move that could jeopardise a highly lucrative fixture.

Pakistan reversed its decision of the Feb 15 game boycott on Monday night only after hectic negotiations involving top officials of the Pakistan Cricket Board, International Cricket Council and the Bangladesh Cricket Board in Lahore.

Strictly on cricketing merit, however, the rivalry has remained one-sided in recent years.

Defending champions India have a 7-1 record against Pakistan in the tournament’s history and they underlined that dominance at last year’s Asia Cup in the UAE. India beat Pakistan three times in that single event, including a stormy final marred by provocative gestures and snubbed handshakes.

‘ALWAYS READY FOR INDIA’

Pakistan skipper Salman Agha said on Saturday his team had been “always ready” to face India on Sunday at the T20 World Cup, despite only being given the green light a few days ago.

The biggest and most lucrative clash in world cricket has sold out the 35,000-capacity R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo with hundreds of millions more expected to watch on television.

“This is a very big game and the magnitude is huge,” Salman said ahead of the team’s practice at the stadium on Saturday.

“We were always ready for the game, whatever be the decision.”

Pakistan had a scrappy last-over three-wicket win in their first match against the Netherlands before beating the USA by 32 runs.

“We are in good momentum and I hope that being in Colombo since the start will help us in terms of conditions,” said Salman.

The hugely anticipated match could be hit by bad weather, with rain forecast for Sunday evening.

The Pakistan skipper believed spin would dominate, calling off-spinner Usman Tariq his trump card against India’s powerful batting line-up.

“Usman has been bowling well and I am sure the mystery element will make him our trump card,” Salman said, brushing aside doubts over the legality of Usman’s unique sling-arm action and the exaggerated pause in his delivery stride.

“He has been cleared twice so there are no worries.”

Salman hoped the players would shake hands, unlike during the Asia Cup matches.

“The game should be played in the true spirit of the game,” he said. “It has been the norm in cricket for years but whatever way they want, we will only know tomorrow.”

As both Pakistan and India have won their first two group stage matches, the winners of Sunday’s match will be guaranteed of their berth in the Super Eights round.

NOT JUST ANOTHER GAME: SURYAKUMAR

Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav admitted on Saturday that no matter how much his team tried to prepare for Sunday’s T20 World Cup clash against Pakistan as “just another game”, it would be much more than that.

“It’s a big platform, obviously,” Suryakumar told reporters in Colombo. “No matter how much you say that it’s just another game, it is a big game.”

The Indian skipper added, “We don’t play them often, don’t even play them regularly. But at the end of the day, we try to keep things simple and try to execute our best game.

“There is pressure, but there is a big opportunity,” he continued. “According to me, when you play an India-Pakistan game, it’s more about the occasion.”

Suryakumar said opener Abhishek Sharma has recovered well from a stomach bug and was likely to play. The big-hitting 25-year-old, who skipped the Namibia match due to the health problem, batted in the nets on Saturday, which indicates the left-hander is in the frame for the high-octane Sunday clash.

The Indian captain played down the hype around Usman’s bowling action.

“We have practised with similar types of bowlers and similar actions so we will try to execute what we are practising in the night sessions,” said Suryakumar.

The Indian skipper would not say whether his players would shake hands with their Pakistan counterparts in Colombo today.

“I will break the suspense tomorrow,” he said. “Wait for 24 hours, let us play the game which is more important.”

Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2026