T20 World Cup 2026: Pakistan elect to field against India
What's the story
The ICC T20 World Cup 2026 match between India and Pakistan is upon us at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The match is finally taking place after being embroiled in a political controversy. Notably, India have a 7-1 lead over Pakistan in T20 World Cups, with their only defeat coming in 2021. Pakistan captain Salman Agha has won the toss and elected to field.
Composition
Abhishek returns; Kuldeep included
Star opener Abhishek Sharma has recovered from his illness. He has returned to India's XI, replacing Sanju Samson. Meanwhile, India have included an extra spinner in Kuldeep Yadav. The latter has replaced Arshdeep Singh. Playing XI: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(captain), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, and Jasprit Bumrah.
Information
Pakistan make no changes
Pakistan (Playing XI): Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Agha (captain), Babar Azam, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Usman Khan (wicket-keeper), Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, and Usman Tariq.
Details
Pitch report and other details
The R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo has a traditional black-soil wicket that offers good bounce initially. However, as the match progresses, the pitch tends to wear out and favor spinners. Meanwhile, the game will start at 7:00pm IST and will be broadcast live in India on the JioStar Network Channels. Live streaming can be accessed via the JioHotstar app and website.
Record
India vs Pakistan: Head-to-headÂ
As mentioned, India lead Pakistan 7-1 in T20 World Cups. This includes the famous Bowl-Out encounter from 2007. In 2021, Pakistan won their only World Cup match over India across 16 encounters in international cricket. Overall, the two teams have clashed in 16 T20Is. India have claimed 13 wins, with three games going in Pakistan's favor.
Information
What happened in last encounter?
In a low-scoring 2024 T20 World Cup thriller in New York, India defended a mere 119 runs. Jasprit Bumrah's impressive bowling figures of 3/14 stifled the Pakistani chase, leading India to a narrow six-run win. Pakistan were 73/2 at one stage.
Performers
Here are the key performers
With 15 wickets at 14.6, Hardik Pandya is the leading wicket-taker in India-Pakistan T20Is. Albeit all in losing causes, Sahibzada Farhan played three fine knocks against India in last year's T20 Asia Cup. Ishan Kishan scored an explosive 24-ball 61 in his last outing against Namibia. Since the start of 2025, Mohammad Nawaz has taken 47 T20I wickets at a tremendous economy of 6.73.