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Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav insists his side will board the flight to Colombo even if Pakistan stay away from their scheduled 15 February T20 World Cup meeting. Speaking at Thursday’s captains’ briefing in Mumbai, he laid out the situation in plain terms.
“(Our) Mindset is pretty clear,” he said. “We did not refuse to play them. The refusal came from them (Pakistan). ICC organised the fixture. BCCI and (Indian) government decided to play in neutral venue in coordination with ICC. Our flight to Colombo is booked. So we are going. We’ll see what happens later.”
That blunt assessment arrived amid lingering uncertainty over whether the two rivals will share the same field next week. Earlier in the week Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, stated his government had taken a “considered stance” on skipping the Chennai leg, arguing he did not want “politics in sport”. For now, the stalemate remains.
Campaign begins in Mumbai
India’s title defence starts on 7 February against the USA at Wankhede. They are many observers’ favourites after a dominant two-year stretch in the format; Monday’s comfortable warm-up win over South Africa in Navi Mumbai did little to dent that view. Suryakumar, visibly relaxed, suggested the squad’s focus is fixed on matters they can control.
“The discussion in the team is ekdum (absolutely) clear. First we play the match on February 7, then we will head to Delhi (Namibia on February 12) and then we will travel to Colombo.”
Those three fixtures, on paper, should secure safe passage from Group A even if the Pakistan match never takes place. Former opener-turned-analyst Aakash Chopra believes a clean sweep is well within reach. “India have covered almost every base—powerplay wickets, middle-overs spin, late-innings pace,” he told a local broadcaster. “Realistically, only complacency beats them.”
Politics never far away
It is the second time in six months the India captain has been forced to address off-field politics. During last year’s Asia Cup the BCCI, following government advice, told players not to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts. India later declined to accept the trophy from ACC president and PCB chair Mohsin Naqvi; Naqvi, for his part, did not present it. Those awkward scenes continue to cast a shadow.
Suryakumar offered a measured response. “Their (Pakistan) decision is not in my control,” he said. “I wish I could take that decision. But then it’s their (Pakistan) call. We’ve been told that we have to play on the 15th. We played the Asia Cup, we played three times. We played some good cricket against them. We won. We were happy. And, similarly, if we get an opportunity again in Colombo we will definitely play our game.”
From a cricketing perspective the fixture is tantalising. India’s settled batting order—Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal up top, Virat Kohli at three, Suryakumar in his freewheeling No.4 role—has looked fluent. Pakistan, by contrast, have battled inconsistency, particularly with the new ball. Still, captain Babar Azam has said privately he is “desperate” for the contest to go ahead; his board, though, appears constrained by political directives.
Logistics and deadlines
ICC officials remain optimistic. A senior tournament manager confirmed contingency plans are in place but did not elaborate. If Pakistan do forfeit, the two points would automatically go to India. Broadcasters, however, would lose their marquee group-stage attraction, and sponsors are already lobbying for a resolution.
Suryakumar sympathised with those on the other side. “I feel it is not an easy job. I’m sure they must be working out something. But if it (the boycott) has come from the other government or the nation, how can… It is a difficult call for them as well. I know it’ll be a difficult situation. But, as I said, if we are told and the fixtures are ready we will definitely go ahead and play.”
For now, India’s boarding passes to Colombo remain valid. Whether or not their biggest-ticket opponents join them is, once again, a matter for corridors of power rather than corridors of cricket grounds.
