The T20 World Cup has officially begun, but suspense still surrounds the high-voltage Group A encounter between India and Pakistan, slated for February 15 in Colombo. Weighing in on the buzz, actor Suniel Shetty has expressed his desire to see the arch-rivals lock horns on the field.
Describing the India-Pakistan face-off as a “beautiful rivalry,” the actor said he hopes the match goes ahead as planned and also sent his best wishes to the Indian cricket team for the tournament.
Suniel Shetty hopes to see India-Pakistan match
On Friday, Suniel stepped out in Mumbai to attend the Black Scorpion To Hell And Back book launch. During the launch, he spoke to the photographers and media people present at the venue, where he expressed his wish to witness the India-Pakistan match at the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. His views came after the Government of Pakistan shared that the team won’t take the field against India.
Suniel went on to compare India and Pakistan’s rivalry to the Ashes series between Australia and England.
“Main chahunga ke Pakistan Sri Lanka mein aake khele… Na khelne se kya ho jata hai… Ek bahut khoobsurat rivalry hai India aur Pakistan ki, jaise Ashes ki rivalry hai Australia aur England ki (I want Pakistan to come to Sri Lanka and play against India. The India and Pakistan teams have a beautiful rivalry just like the Ashes between Australia and England),” Suniel said at the event.
Sending his good wishes to the Indian cricket team, Suniel shared, “Wish yehi hai ke jaise khelte aa rahe ho waise hi khele bas waise hi khelenge toh jeetenege (The only wish is that I hope they continue to play the way they have been playing. If they play like that, they will win).”
Suniel is a self-confessed cricket enthusiast, and is often seen attending matches in Mumbai. He is also the father-in-law of Indian cricketer KL Rahul.
Uncertainty over India-Pakistan T20 World Cup match
The Government of Pakistan has stated that the men’s team won’t take the field against Suryakumar Yadav’s Team India after what happened with Bangladesh and the ICC’s last-minute replacement of the side with Scotland. However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has yet to write to the apex body to explain its stance.
Recently, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) also wrote to the PCB to reconsider its stance, or else it will cause huge financial losses for the former, given that the match was to be played in Colombo. Meanwhile, it is being reported that the Sri Lankan Police are not hampered by the ongoing drama as they continue to prepare the security plans for the contest between the two arch-rivals.
