India and Pakistan finally locked horns in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium on Sunday, ending days of speculation, controversy, and boycott talks surrounding the high-profile clash. Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav and Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha walked out for the toss amid intense anticipation, with Pakistan winning the toss and electing to bowl first in the crucial Group A encounter.
The spotlight, however, was not only on cricketing decisions but also on the ongoing handshake controversy that had dominated headlines before the match. Both teams continued with the much-discussed no-handshake stance at the toss, maintaining a policy that has remained in place following recent political and cricketing tensions between the two nations.
#SalmanAliAgha has won the toss and elected to field first! _
What total will #TeamIndia post in this all-important clash? _
ICC Men’s #T20WorldCup | #INDvPAK | LIVE NOW _https://t.co/SpqYo6n3dL pic.twitter.com/e6R5Kldx26
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) February 15, 2026
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Colombo Clash
The Colombo clash marks both teams’ third group-stage match of the tournament, with India entering the contest unbeaten after victories over the United States and Namibia, while Pakistan also arrived with winning momentum following triumphs against the Netherlands and the USA.
Captain’s End:- Suryakumar Yadav (India) & Salman Ali Agha (Pakistan)
Suryakumar Yadav | India captain: (Do you mind batting first?) Not at all. We were looking to bat first. We’ve seen the results here, and we’ve batted in the last two games and won both the games defending, so we don’t want to change anything. (On the big occasion) I think it’s easy to say that it’s just another game, but it is an occasion. These games are always very high stakes, but at the same time, you’ve got to know what you want to do. That’s more important. Stay in the present, back your skills, put your A game forward and be yourself. (Does form count?) This sport teaches you a lot of things. On a given day, if you’re going well, then anyone can have a good day. Two changes. Abhishek Sharma comes in and Kuldeep Yadav comes in for Arshdeep Singh.
Salman Agha | Pakistan captain: We want to bowl first. It looks a bit tacky, so we feel it will assist the bowlers for the first few overs so we want to use that. It’s a big game. We all know that. But in our group we all are very, very relaxed now. And we’re just focusing on the game and we’re very excited for this challenge. Bigger ground than SSC and the pitch is slower than SSC. But we have been playing on these kind of pitches for the last six months. So we have an idea how to play on these pitches as well. Same team for us.
India (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah
Pakistan (Playing XI): Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Agha(c), Babar Azam, Mohammad Nawaz, Usman Khan(w), Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq