Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has expressed strong confidence in Team India ahead of the much-anticipated Group A clash against arch-rivals Pakistan in the continued ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. The high-voltage encounter is scheduled to be played on February 15 in Colombo.
Reacting to the fixture, Ganguly said, “It would be an enormous World Cup match. The match is on fifteenth February, it is just not going to be easy for Pakistan to defeat India. India is a excellent team.”
His comments reflect the idea surrounding the Indian side as they proceed their title defence in the worldwide tournament. Ganguly’s statement got here at a time when the build-up to the match intensified following clarity over Pakistan’s participation within the fixture.
Pakistan Government Ends Uncertainty Over Match Participation
The Pakistan government on Monday directed its national cricket team to play the scheduled World Cup match against India, bringing an end to speculation around a possible boycott. This decision followed a briefing by Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif regarding high-level discussions involving the PCB, the ICC, and the Bangladesh Cricket Board.
Earlier, Pakistan had announced its intention to boycott the group-stage match against India in support of Bangladesh, who were expelled from the tournament after the ICC rejected their request to maneuver matches outside India attributable to “security concerns.”
Pakistan’s Prime Minister also spoke with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to debate regional cooperation during what were described as difficult times. After multiple consultations with the ICC and other stakeholders, Pakistan’s government instructed its team to honour the February 15 fixture.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Cricket Board president Aminul Islam Bulbul also urged Pakistan to take the sector against India after an ICC meeting held in Lahore to resolve the matter.
India’s Strong Start And Ganguly’s Favourite Players
Speaking in Kolkata, Ganguly also shared his views on the early phase of the T20 World Cup, praising the competitive nature of the tournament. “The tournament has began rather well. To date, it doesn’t look that any team is misplaced be it Netherlands, Scotland or Nepal. Within the Indian team, Abhishek Sharma, Bumrah, Surya, and Ishan Kishan are my favourites,” he said.
India began their campaign on a positive note by defeating the USA by 29 runs of their opening Group A match, where captain Suryakumar Yadav played a match-winning knock of an unbeaten 84 off 49 balls. The Men in Blue are currently in Delhi preparing for his or her next clash against Namibia on February 12. They’ll then travel to Colombo for the marquee encounter against Pakistan on February 15, before heading to Ahmedabad for his or her final group-stage match against the Netherlands on February 18.
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