T20 World Cup 2025/26, IND vs PAK Match 27, Group A Match Preview

big picture

Well, everything about this game is in the big picture. If ever we needed a reminder of how much of an impact this game has on the world of cricket, it came in the past two weeks, when the game was dangling on the precipice of never happening. The outcome of the India vs Pakistan match may feel like it means everything, but as the ICC’s view has emerged over at least the past 15 years, it doesn’t have to mean anything at all. It just needs to happen.

And that’s where a rivalry arises. India captain Suryakumar Yadav was triumphant after his second of three wins against Pakistan in Dubai in the Asia Cup, as if this was no longer a rivalry but simply cricket played within defined boundaries. India may currently measure its standards of cricket against teams that play better cricket than Pakistan, but matches against Pakistan still pack in stadiums more consistently and attract more attention than matches against supposedly better competitors. Meanwhile, in Pakistan there was never any attempt to deny that victory over India was of paramount importance.

Perhaps it is because of his absence that the hearts of Pakistan supporters grow deeper. They have won three games against India in the last 10 years, two of which have been so iconic that they are referred to by numerical abbreviations. Pakistan needs little explanation beyond “180 runs” and “152-0” to know what is being said. But while those represent two of Pakistan’s three wins, the 17 losses on the other side of the ledger have come together in one sad heap of dirt.

The smaller picture is that this game doesn’t have much of an impact from a tournament standpoint. Both teams have overcome their fears to amass a 2-0 record against less appealing opponents, and a loss is unlikely to make it difficult for either to advance to the next round. This is really a game that exists for its own sake, outside of the context of the tournaments you’re participating in.

On the field, you know the score. India have both the cricketing and psychological edge and have won the three matches against Pakistan in the Asia Cup in three different ways. The first was won with the ball, the second with the bat and the final was won with spirit, opening up more wounds in a rivalry where Pakistan is struggling to find a way to turn the tide. India’s top order is uniquely destructive in T20Is, the middle order has heft, the spin has impressive world-class versatility, and the fast bowlers have Jasprit Bumrah. No matter which one you choose, there are fewer and fewer knits to choose from.

The mood may be bleak for Pakistan at times, but only someone who knows little about Pakistani cricket would think they would go in without any hope. Strangely, despite the huge gulf between these teams, Pakistan will be left scratching their heads wondering why they have not been able to beat India in three consecutive T20 World Cups going into this match. After decisive wins in 2021, they let wins slip through their hands in Melbourne in 2022 and New York in 2024. They will learn there how big a difference there is between hope and belief, and Pakistan will need to find a way to seize opportunities when the games present them, as they did in these two games and in last year’s Asia Cup final.

India vs Pakistan is often talked about, but rarely for the right reasons. But for a few hours Sunday, that’s exactly what could happen. That in itself will probably be enough of a reason to watch the game on Sunday, and with any luck it will be a good game.

form guide

India WWWWW (Last 5 completed T20Is, newest first)
Pakistan WWWWW

People to watch: Hardik Pandya and Sahibzada Farhan

Perhaps no player in this Indian team likes playing against Pakistan more than Hardik Pandya. Against this, he has a better bowling average, better bowling economy rate and better bowling strike rate than his overall T20I figures. His batting numbers in T20Is against Pakistan weren’t that great, but every Pakistan fan will remember his 76 hits from 43 balls in the 2017 Champions Trophy final, which cost him a loss. In the last three matches, he has dismissed Babar Azam, Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman and his two-way credentials in this match gave India the ultimate luxury.

Sahibzada Farhan played three matches against India, all within two weeks. He scored 40 in the first match and then went on to score two half-centuries to help Pakistan get off to a dream start in the two matches against India in the Asia Cup. Most famously, he had relative ease against Jasprit Bumrah, where he scored at a strike rate of 150 without losing a single wicket. He hit three sixes during that purple patch, more than any batsman he hit against Bumrah in his T20I career. If Pakistan are ultimately going to cross the line against India, they may be required to perform similarly over the top, even if Bumrah is a difficult man to contain for long.

Team News: More spinners for India?

Abhishek Sharma recovered in time for the match and will replace Sanju Samson. India would like to add another spin option, in which case either Washington Sundar or Kuldeep Yadav is likely to replace Arshdeep Singh.

India (Probably): 1 Ishan Kishan (week), 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Tilak Varma, 4 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Rinku Singh, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Varun Chakravarthy, 11 Jasprit Bumrah.

Pakistan have indicated their intention to keep Babar Azam in their midfield, and given their overwhelming performance against the United States, there are few calls for immediate change. There remains a possibility that Fakhar Zaman will be called up, perhaps to replace Usman Khan, in which case the gloves would be handed to Farhan. However, wholesale trade is unlikely to change.

Pakistan (Probably): 1 Sahibzada Farhan (week), 2 Saim Ayub, 3 Salman Agha (captain), 4 Babar Azam, 5 Shadab Khan, 6 Usman Khan (week)/Fakhar Zaman, 7 Mohammad Nawaz, 8 Faheem Ashraf, 9 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 10 Usman Tariq, 11 Abrar Ahmed

Pitch and conditions: rainy weather

The match will be played on the same pitch as Australia vs Zimbabwe. As of Saturday, there was some grass growing on the deck, suggesting the venue’s deck was flatter than usual. But the bigger issue was weather-related, with rain the previous day requiring cover in the afternoon. There is still a significant chance of precipitation during the evening itself.

India arrived in Colombo late on Friday night and had only one session on the ground. Pakistan had the luxury of not taking part in this tournament, but so far they have not played in Premadasa and all their wins have come in SSC.

Stats and Trivia: Abhishek vs Shaheen

India has a 7-1 lead against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup.
Abhishek’s strike rate of 194.45 in T20Is is the highest among batsmen who have scored at least 500 runs since the start of 2024.
Since the beginning of 2024, Shaheen Shah Afridi has taken 15 wickets in the first over of a T20I, the most by a bowler in a full squad.
In eight bowlings against Pakistan in T20Is, Pandya never went wicketless, hitting 15 at an average of 14.60 and a strike rate of 11.00. The only T20I in which he was not among the wickets, in which he did not bowl even once, was the match Pakistan won by 10 wickets in the 2021 T20 World Cup.
Mohammad Nawaz is three wickets away from becoming the fourth Pakistani bowler to reach 100 T20Is.

quotation

“When you play an India-Pakistan match, it’s more about the moment. It’s a platform. You can say what you want as if it were a different match. But you know which match you’re going to play. And we don’t play that often.”
Suryakumar Yadav Not hiding behind the cliché that “it’s just like any other game”

“We are based in Colombo and we play all our matches here, but I don’t see how that will be an advantage. On the ground we have to play good cricket and we have to execute our plans. Otherwise we won’t win. Just because we are based here doesn’t mean we will win games.”
salman agha There’s not much point in not having to travel in this World Cup.

Danyal Rasool is ESPNcricinfo’s Pakistan correspondent. @Danny61000