Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav has shared his views on playing bilateral series with Pakistan. India and Pakistan are set to face each other in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2026. This match is scheduled to take place in Colombo on Sunday (15 February).
The two arch-rivals have not played any bilateral series against each other since the 2012–13 season, when Pakistan toured India for a short limited-overs series. On the other hand, the last Test series between them was in 2007.
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It is not in our hands: Suryakumar Yadav
Since 2013, they have faced each other only in ICC competitions and the Asia Cup. However, the resumption of bilateral relations between the two cricket boards has recently become the talk of the town. According to media reports, PCB has demanded ICC to restart the bilateral series between India and Pakistan to end the boycott of the upcoming match.
However, the ICC rejected this demand and eventually the PCB also agreed to play the match. And as the arch-rivals were gearing up for the high-voltage clash, Suryakumar Yadav was asked about the situation. In response, the India captain played it safe and said:
“It is not in our hands (playing bilaterals with Pakistan). I will let you know when I am in a position where I can take a decision.”
Bilateral relations further deteriorated:
There seems to be very little possibility of any bilateral series between India and Pakistan in the near future. The situation between the two countries has only worsened since the Pahalgam terrorist attack last year and the military action that followed.
Both BCCI and PCB have flatly refused to travel to each other’s country. While India has not toured Pakistan since 2008, Pakistan was scheduled to tour India for the World Cup in 2023. However, the PCB decided not to tour India for the ongoing T20 World Cup and the ICC had to allot Sri Lanka as the venue for Pakistan’s matches.
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India starts as a strong contender:
Team India will start the match against Pakistan as a strong contender. Both India and Pakistan have won their opening two matches of the tournament and will be looking to continue their winning streak. Although both the teams are in good form at the moment, the overall record is in favor of India.
India has won 7 out of 8 matches played against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup. Their only defeat against the Men in Green came in 2021. India had also defeated Pakistan thrice in the Asia Cup last year.
