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February 15, 2026

Pakistan Opt to Bowl in High-Stakes India vs Pakistan Match in T20 World Cup 2026

Pakistan Opt to Bowl in High-Stakes India vs Pakistan Match in T20 World Cup 2026

For the high-stakes 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup Group A India vs Pakistan clash, Pakistan has won the toss and elected to field first against India at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha cited the potential for early movement under overcast conditions and the presence of a thin layer of grass as the reason for bowling first. 

India captain Suryakumar Yadav mentioned he would have preferred to bat first regardless, looking to set a target on a used surface that is expected to slow down and assist spinners as the game progresses.

India Playing XI 

Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Rinku Singh

Pakistan Playing XI

Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Salman Agha (c), Usman Khan (wk), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Usman Tariq, Abrar Ahmed.