The India vs Pakistan 2026 T20 World Cup is just one sleep away. The marquee fixture of the ICC event will be taking place on Sunday, 15th February, at the R Premedasa Stadium, Colombo. The two teams are already gearing up, with Pakistan already playing their matches in Sri Lanka and India having already reached the island nation last night.

Pakistan is winless in its last five encounters against India across all competitions. India has an advantage of 15-1 against their arch-rivals in the World Cup stages. The rivalry has been one-sided in the World Cups as Pakistan has last won back in 2021, which was in the T20 World Cup, and it remains their only victory over India.

Pakistan has advantage over India?

The Men in Green have an advantage being there in Sri Lanka and have been accustomed to the conditions well. R Premedasa Stadium, Colombo, has been known for its dry and slow pitches as the ball turns and grips a bit. It was seen in the very first game of co-hosts Sri Lanka as their spinners picked 7 out of the 10 wickets in the game against Ireland.

On Sunday, the India vs Pakistan match will be played on the same wicket on which Zimbabwe upset Australia by 23 runs. However, surprisingly, it was the pacers of the Chevrons who picked the wickets. Led by Blessing Muzarabani, who picked 4/17, pacer Brad Evans picking up 3/17 shared seven wickets between them. Chasing has not been easy on this ground as the pitch gets slower.

India vs Pakistan: Pitch Report

This pitch has yet to produce a score of 200 in the T20 World Cup 2026. This explains why the average first-inning score at this location remains between 140 and 170. Large boundaries and a gripping pitch make scoring 200+ runs difficult. Pacers will get some offering with the new ball; however, spinners are predicted to dominate the game.

According to TOI, a used pitch will be used for the IND vs PAK match. It will be the same pitch where the match between Zimbabwe and Australia was played.

Both teams have quality spinners, with the wrist spinners and mystery spinners, which will have more effect. India has the likes of Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav, who might have a role to play in the upcoming game. On the other hand, Pakistan has Usman Tariq and Shadab Khan, as the former has been making headlines for his unorthodox action.

Spinners to dominate in India vs Pakistan match

But the India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 match can be affected by rain in Colombo. There has been a rain prediction ahead of the game and in between the match as well. So there can be a toss delay and start-stop during the match. If rain comes into play, toss will be a huge factor as the team would want to bat first and get runs on the board.

The India vs Pakistan rivalry over the years has always been Indian batters vs the Pakistani pacers; this time, it would be a different scenario, as it would be Indian batters vs the Pakistani spinners. Pakistan has two frontline spinners and three spin bowling all-rounders. India has struggled against spin in recent times, and it will be an interesting battle to watch.

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