ICC T20 World Cup 2026 | 'Perhaps Pakistan wanted to show that it is with Bangladesh': Coach Sukhwinder Bawa on Pak's U-turn to play against India

Chandigarh: Pakistan's cricket team is set to clash with India in the much-anticipated Group A fixture of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 on February 15 in Colombo, and the Indian sports fraternity has welcomed the Pakistan Government's decision.

Speaking to ANI on Pakistan's decision to play India in the T20 World Cup, cricket coach Sukhwinder Singh Bawa said, "Perhaps Pakistan wanted to show that it is with Bangladesh. Bangladesh told Pakistan to change its stance. Now, if Pakistan plays the match, the ICC Chairman Jay Shah and his team have a huge role in it."

"This is a victory for cricket. Cricket should always continue. India's team is very good right now. Our morale is also good. The team is playing well," said Bawa.

Earlier on Monday, the Pakistan Government directed its national cricket team to take the field on February 15 for their scheduled fixture against the defending champions, India, in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

The decision followed a briefing by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the outcomes of high-level talks among the PCB, the International Cricket Council (ICC), and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), according to a statement from the Pakistan Government.

Pakistan had previously decided to boycott their group-stage T20 World Cup match against arch-rivals India in support of Bangladesh, which was expelled from the tournament after the ICC rejected its request to shift match venues outside India due to "security concerns".

Bangladesh were replaced by Scotland in this T20 World Cup, after their request to have all their matches played outside India could not be agreed upon by the ICC, which they put in place after Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) pacer Mustafizur Rahman was removed from the squad following instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) amid concerns related to atrocities against minorities in Bangladesh.

Men in Blue are in Delhi and will play Namibia on February 12. They are then scheduled to play the much-anticipated World Cup match against Pakistan in Colombo on February 15, before travelling to Ahmedabad for their final group-stage clash against the Netherlands on February 18.

Team India's 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.