After a comprehensive one-sided win over the Salman Ali Agha-led side, star India all-rounder Axar Patel rubbed further salt into Pakistan’s wounds by downplaying the hype around an intense rivalry between the two teams.
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India’s 61-run victory over the Pakistan national cricket team in Colombo once again raised the question of whether the ‘arch-rivals’ tag still holds sporting relevance. While political tension and fan emotion continue to fuel the narrative, cricket itself has increasingly become one-sided, particularly in the shortest format.
Axar, speaking after the game, made it clear that the Indian dressing room does not buy into the rivalry narrative.
“See, we are seeing them as a team. So we are not thinking about these rivalry or whatever. So we are playing against one team, and we are just focusing on cricket. So whenever I am playing, I am not thinking about what about others. I don’t know. But I treat it as a one match and opponent. So I’m not thinking about any rivalry or whatever. So we are opposition came to play, and we have played good cricket. That’s it,” Axar Patel told reporters after the Colombo win.
Arguably, more interest stemmed from the boycott drama ahead of Sunday’s India vs Pakistan clash than from the contest that unfolded at the R. Premadasa Stadium. Much like seven of the previous eight meetings between the two sides in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the latest encounter followed a familiar script.
Pre-match talk of Pakistan posing a serious challenge in Colombo’s spin-friendly conditions quickly faded as India tightened their grip. Led by Suryakumar Yadav, the Men in Blue once again underlined the gulf between the two teams in T20 cricket.
India outclassed the 2009 T20 World Cup champions in front of a sold-out crowd in Colombo, prevailing by 61 runs and delighting the majority of Indian supporters at the venue. Ahead of the clash, Salman Ali Agha had spoken about playing fearless and aggressive cricket. On the field, however, Pakistan struggled to find the right balance and paid the price.
Last year, Suryakumar had also questioned the narrative around the contest after India’s Asia Cup 2025 Super Four win in Dubai, stating that matches against Pakistan were “not a rivalry anymore” and arguing that a true rivalry requires balanced outcomes.
The Colombo result further tilted an already lopsided head-to-head record. In T20 World Cups, India now lead Pakistan 8-1. Across T20Is overall, India’s dominance has been equally pronounced.
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