Team India skipper Suryakumar Yadav opened up on facing Pakistan once again in the upcoming T20 World Cup, while taking a playful dig at their recent encounters in the Asia Cup 2025. The two arch-rivals clashed in three intense matches during the tournament in the UAE, skipping the customary handshake at the toss and post-match greetings. India emerged victorious on all three occasions, including the thrilling final.
For the T20 World Cup, Pakistan will play all their matches in Sri Lanka, part of a compromise arrangement allowing both India and Pakistan to play at neutral venues in multi-nation tournaments.
Suryakumar reflected on India’s group in the T20 World Cup, highlighting the February 15 clash against Pakistan in Colombo, while playfully taking a dig at how tense, rather than friendly, their encounters were during the Asia Cup 2025.
“The group looks good. Quite decent. We’re playing at good venues, Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad. then you talk about the game on the 15th (vs Pakistan). We played them recently and we had a good time. Everything was completely focussed on cricket and nothing else as you must have seen. But yeah, I’m sure it will be a good game. The boys are always excited to have an India-Pakistan game. They have a good time when they go on the ground,” said Surya during the announcement of the T20 World Cup schedule.
Team India has not yet collected the Asia Cup trophy after Suryakumar Yadav and his teammates opted not to receive it from ACC president Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as PCB chief and a Pakistani minister. Known for his outspoken anti-India views, Naqvi’s presence saw the Men in Blue take a firm stand. The BCCI and ACC are still in discussions over the pending trophy handover.
Defending champions India will kick off their T20 World Cup campaign against the USA in Mumbai on February 7, followed by a clash with Namibia in Delhi on February 12. They will then travel to Colombo for the high-stakes encounter against Pakistan on February 15, before wrapping up the group stage against the Netherlands in Ahmedabad on February 18.
Check India’s Group A fixtures
February 7: India vs USA in Mumbai at 7:00 PM
February 12: India vs Namibia in Delhi at 7:00 PM
February 15: India vs Pakistan in Colombo at 7:00 PM
February 18: India vs Netherlands in Ahmedabad at 7:00 PM
The tournament will be played across eight venues—five in India and three in Sri Lanka—between February 7 and March 8, featuring a total of 55 matches in Delhi, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Mumbai, Colombo, and Kandy.
