The Aryavarth Express Kolkata (West Bengal): Former BCCI President Sourav Ganguly welcomed Pakistan’s decision to play their February 15 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup match against India, saying it is “good” that sports and politics remain separate.
Speaking to reporters, Sourav Ganguly noted, “I am not aware of any government-level talks, but it is good that they are playing. Sports and politics are different. India-Pakistan matches have always been exciting, though there has not been much competition in the last few years. I hope Pakistan plays well because India is a superb team, and it won’t be easy for them to defeat India.”
The Pakistan government, on Monday, instructed its national cricket team to participate in the scheduled group-stage fixture after initial plans to boycott the match. The decision followed briefings by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and high-level discussions between the PCB, International Cricket Council (ICC), and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
Pakistan had initially considered boycotting the match in support of Bangladesh, which had opted out of the tournament after the ICC refused to shift their games outside India due to security concerns. ICC held meetings with the PCB and BCB at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday to urge Pakistan to participate, with BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul also requesting their involvement.
India opened their Group A campaign with a 29-run victory over the USA, led by captain Suryakumar Yadav’s unbeaten 84 off 49 balls. The Men in Blue will face Namibia on February 12 in Delhi, meet Pakistan in Colombo on February 15, and conclude their group-stage matches against the Netherlands in Ahmedabad on February 18.
India T20 World Cup 2026 Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh.
