T20 WC: All you need to know before blockbuster India-Pakistan Group A encounter
Colombo, Feb 14 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) The blockbuster clash between India and Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2026 is set to go ahead as scheduled after a lot of drama here on Sunday at the R Premadasa Stadium. Have a look at the India vs Pakistan rivalry in T20 World Cups so far.
Defending champions India began their campaign with a win over the United States and have arrived in Colombo after beating Namibia by 93 runs. Pakistan, on the other hand, looked in all sorts of trouble against the Netherlands before sealing the thrilling encounter in their campaign opener. They followed it up with a clinical performance win against the USA.
India and Pakistan have been placed in the same group in the opening stages of the past five editions of the T20 World Cup and the previous two 50-over World Cup competitions. The last time they were placed in separate groups was the 2011 ODI World Cup in India, though the two eventually faced off in the semifinal, where India beat Pakistan before defeating Sri Lanka in the final.
The history of the India-Pakistan face-off in the T20 World cup remains heavily tilted in favour of the Men in Blue. Till now, the two sides have played each other eight times in the T20 World Cup, with India emerging victorious on seven occasions, while Pakistan managed to win only once (in 2021).
Moreover, India have enjoyed remarkable success at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Since 2009, they have played 15 T20I matches at the venue, winning 11 and losing just four, underlining their consistency in Sri Lankan conditions.
Moreover, the rain threat looms over the high-intensity encounter, as weather forecasts show a strong possibility of rain on Sunday in Colombo.
According to projections, Colombo faces a 76 percent chance of rain during the day on Sunday, with the probability dropping to 13 percent in the evening with 100 percent cloud cover.
Overall head-to-head India vs Pakistan in T20Is: 16
India won: 13
Pakistan won: 3
Highest innings totals
India: 192-5 (20), Ahmedabad, Dec 28, 2012
Pakistan: 182-5 (19.5), Dubai , Sep 4, 2022
Lowest Innings totals
India: 119 (19), Nassau, June 9, 2024
Pakistan: 83 (17.3), Mirpur, Feb 27, 2016
Highest individual scores
India: 82*, V. Kohli, Melbourne , Oct 23, 2022
Pakistan: 79*, Mohmmad Rizwan, Dubai, Oct 24, 2021
Best bowling figures
India: 4-26, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Dubai, August 28, 2022
Pakistan: 4-18, Mohammad Asif, Kingsmead, Sep 14, 2007
Match details
When: Sunday, February 15, 7:00 PM IST
Where: R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo
Where to watch: Star Sports Network for live TV broadcast and JioHotstar for live streaming
Squads
India: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh.
Pakistan: Salman Ali Agha (C), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan, Usman Tariq.
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