An India-Pakistan game is more about the occasion: Suryakumar

Suryakumar Yadav was in a chirpy mood. Cheeky remarks were made, serious replies were registered too, and all through he had a big grin. The Indian skipper’s demeanour belied the pressure that underpins clashes against Pakistan.

Speaking to the media at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Saturday (February 14, 2026) evening, Suryakumar admitted that at the back of their minds, he and his players would still be conscious about Sunday’s (February 15, 2026) T20 World Cup game against Pakistan. “We knew we had this game on the 15th, and we have prepared for it. But we want to play good cricket. When you play an India-Pakistan game, it’s more about the occasion. It’s a big platform, obviously,” he said.

He also hinted that Abhishek Sharma could play. “Well if the Pakistan captain (Salman Agha) wants to see Abhishek bat, then okay we will play him,” Suryakumar said. And when pressed on sharing handshakes with the opponents, he immediately replied: “Just wait a bit, you will know tomorrow, just have your food, sleep well tonight.”

When a correspondent asked whether he prefers more matches against Pakistan, Suryakumar turned diplomatic: “Well, this [decision] is beyond me.” He conceded that the rival has done well recently, but didn’t see any specific advantage Agha’s men could extract by virtue of having been in Sri Lanka for a while. “Sri Lanka is close to India. The pitches may be a little different, but we have played enough here and know the conditions,” he said.

Keeping selection cards close to his chest, the captain emphasised that his unit has good seamers, spinners and batters, and a call on the playing XI would be made after assessing the conditions. And as for the rain-forecast, Suryakumar said: “We cannot control the weather, we will look at playing good cricket”.