--- title: 'India vs Pakistan | ICC T20 World Cup 2026 - Who Will Win? | Suryakumar Yadav Press Conference' source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=VwNUPc-QfkY' video_id: 'VwNUPc-QfkY' date: 2026-07-31 duration_sec: 1740 --- # India vs Pakistan | ICC T20 World Cup 2026 - Who Will Win? | Suryakumar Yadav Press Conference > Source: [India vs Pakistan | ICC T20 World Cup 2026 - Who Will Win? | Suryakumar Yadav Press Conference](https://youtube.com/watch?v=VwNUPc-QfkY) ## Summary This live pre-match show analyzes the India–Pakistan ICC T20 World Cup 2026 clash in Colombo, covering team news, pitch conditions, and strategic predictions. The hosts discuss Suryakumar Yadav's press conference, Abhishek Sharma's fitness, and Pakistan's selection dilemmas, while fielding viewer comments and banter. ### Key Points - **Visa issues prevent travel to Colombo** [00:04] — The hosts are in the UAE and could not go to Sri Lanka because the visa did not arrive; accreditation came at the last moment. They may have to watch the match on TV if the visa issue persists. - **No rain worries in Colombo** [00:50] — One host was in Colombo for four days and saw no rain. Acumen Weather predicts no rain after 5 PM, the match starts at 7 PM, and the drainage system plus full ground covers make rain disruption unlikely. - **Suryakumar Yadav on handshake question** [02:55] — Asked whether there will be a handshake with Pakistan players, Surya replied: 'Please have some patience. You will know everything within 24 hours.' The hosts debate whether the handshake is still a big issue. - **Abhishek Sharma likely to play despite fitness concerns** [04:18] — Latest news says Abhishek Sharma is batting in the nets. He lost 2 kg, but Surya hinted he will play. The panel believes he is match-fit and will take the field. - **Pitch: same surface where Zimbabwe beat Australia** [06:24] — The match may be played on the same pitch used for Australia vs Zimbabwe, where Zimbabwe won defending 160. Anees expects a fresh pitch and a par score around 160-170. - **Mohammad Aamir calls Abhishek a slogger — panel disagrees** [07:36] — Aamir labelled Abhishek Sharma a slogger, but the panel points out he has two T20I hundreds and eight domestic T20 hundreds, and he has been the ICC number-one ranked T20 batsman. That is not a slogger. - **Shaheen Shah Afridi likely to play despite poor form** [09:20] — Despite rumors of dropping Shaheen for Naseem Shah, the panel thinks he will play because he bowled well against India in the Asia Cup final, troubled left-handers, is a good fielder, and can contribute 10-15 runs. - **Babar Azam won't be dropped** [10:16] — The panel dismisses talk of replacing Babar with Fakhar Zaman. Moeen Ali and Umar Gul agree, saying Pakistan wants Babar to hold one end and prevent collapses, even if his strike rate is a concern. - **India may bring in Kuldeep for Arshdeep** [14:45] — Given Colombo's spin-friendly pitch, India might play three spinners — Axar, Kuldeep, and Varun — alongside Bumrah and Hardik, meaning Arshdeep Singh could sit out. The panel supports this idea. - **Surya's 'out of syllabus' analogy for Usman Tariq** [22:22] — When asked if mystery spinner Usman Tariq is an out-of-syllabus question for India, Surya said: 'If an out-of-syllabus question comes, you don't leave it. You attempt it and sometimes you get full marks.' - **Big stadium favors India** [24:09] — Anees believes India's ability to rotate strike and run between wickets gives them an advantage at the large Premadasa Stadium. Indian batsmen take singles and doubles after hitting a six, unlike Pakistan's reliance on boundaries. ### Conclusion The video is a lively pre-match discussion covering India vs Pakistan team news, pitch and weather conditions, and tactical predictions. Key takeaways include India's likely spin-heavy attack, Pakistan's reluctance to drop Shaheen or Babar, and Surya's confident response to the Usman Tariq challenge. ## Transcript Sajan ji, how are you? We have come live and first of all I appear in Colombo but the visa did not come, the accreditation came at the last moment, if the visa did not come then we too will have to watch India vs Pakistan on TV like everyone else. on TV like everyone else. lot of reports are coming from Sri Lanka. First of all, before talking to the cricket experts, let's talk to Mr. Cricket UAE in the manner of a weather expert. I was Yes, you were in Sri Lanka and have returned. I am saying that I will have to talk a little like a weather expert. First of all, tell me in Sri Lanka. Was it raining every evening ? It was falling. This is absolute nonsense. You know what, I have seen many channels that boldly say that it is raining, this is it, so and so is our Dhimka. I was there for four days. It did not rain even a little for a single day. After that some You Know web pages show that it is raining. Acumen Weather is a must-see. Acumen Weather says no rain tomorrow after 5:00. It's also a bit rainy at 5:00 and our match is going to start at 7:00. Secondly, the drainage system there is so good. Plus they cover the entire ground. So there is no need to worry about rain. We still have to get ready for the match. Of no need to worry about rain. We still have to get ready for the match. Of both the captains are also ready for the match. We also saw the press conference of Surya Kumar Yadav. We watched the press conference. Salman Ali Agha's too. So we will talk about that also. We will talk about the challenges that India is going to face. So Prashant Kapoor could not join us because he is stuck somewhere. We loved him too but he too could not go to Sri Lanka. First of all, tell me sir, were you in Sri Lanka? First of all, tell me the hype. Pakistan first said that they would not play. Now he has taken a U-turn and said that he is playing. This final hype is there, did people expect that the India vs Pakistan match would definitely happen? know that history tells us that Pakistan says I will do this, after that it does not happen, we saw in the Asia Cup that even their cricketers said that we have retired and then we will come and such a big World Cup match for them, you know they also had to suffer financial losses, there was a little political angle in it, finally I am glad that better sense prevailed and we are watching this match, the players also want to play, absolutely absolutely absolutely. So first of all let us tell those people who did not see Surya Kumar Yadav's press conference. First of all, let us tell those people conference. The first question asked to Surya Kumar Yadav was on handshake. He was asked whether there would be a handshake tomorrow? So he said, brother, please have some handshake tomorrow? So he said, brother, please have some patience. You will know everything within 24 hours. Do you think it's still such a big issue why the handshake? When we know what all has happened between India and Pakistan in the last one year. Do you think it is still an issue whether there should be a handshake or not or have both the countries moved beyond these issues now? I think I have moved. countries moved beyond these issues now? I think I have moved. you just said about the weather, you are also saying about the handshake. If you get a point, people talk about it. I guess we have to move on and focus on the game. We will know tomorrow whether there will be a handshake or not. Done. It's a good thing. Nothing has happened, nothing is going to happen. The Absolutely absolutely. So some audience has also joined us and I want to tell everyone that yes it is Valentine's Day. Perhaps Prashant Kapoor is busy there and is saying that he is not able to get the connection. But all of you please tell me in the comments that if India wins the toss tomorrow then should India bat first or bowl? And if India bats first, what do they think will be the bats first, what do they think will be the big score that the Indian team will be able to defend. Sir, I will talk to you. There are many questions being raised on Abhishek Sharma whether he is fit or not? The latest news is that Abhishek Sharma is batting in the nets. When Surya Kumar Yadav was asked this question by a Pakistani journalist, he said, if you are saying so, then we will definitely play Abhishek Sharma. Do you think Abhishek Sharma will be match fit or will Abhishek Sharma play in such a big match even Abhishek Sharma play in such a big match even if he is 95% fit? I should come and I will definitely come. Otherwise he would not have taken the flight to Colombo. Yes, I saw a video of him where he was talking to Adeep that he has lost 2 kg. Obviously when you have believe he had enough time to recover and I think we will see him on the ground and all Indians want to see him and even Salman Ali Agha also said that I want him to be fit and we want to compete with him. So all of us including Pakistan wants to see him. Absolutely, the competition will be tough because Abhishek Sharma has made a big name for himself in a very short time. The way he charged Shaheen Shah Afridi in the Asia Cup has made him a big name. I also have a question on Shaheen Shah Afridi. But first of all I want to tell you that on our live broadcast, how much people are predicting India's score. Naval Yadav says 180 Mr. A Typical says 175 180 Mr. A Typical says 175 plus. Apart from that, bowling should be taken first. Archit Dhaman says that if you win the toss then there should be no handshakes. This is what Avinash Chandra Maurya says. Batting should be taken. Batting can become 200 plus. Batting should be taken. Batting can become 200 plus. Basant ji has said this in his comment. Apart from that, if I talk about 175 plus, Mr. A Typical Harshit Gupta's comment is 153 240 Mother Nature 200 plus Sat Duriya the last 240 Mother Nature 200 plus Sat Duriya the last over is saying batting 120 batting 175 plus 180 is the comment of Naval Yadav ji. So I will start with the comment of 180 Naval Yadav ji because this pitch is the same pitch where the match between Australia and Zimbabwe took place and Zimbabwe defeated Australia on the same ground and as per what is being heard, this match will probably take place on the same pitch. What do you think of that match? Initially, it seemed that Zimbabwe might have batted very conservatively and since they lost only two wickets in the entire 20 they lost only two wickets in the entire 20 overs, it seemed that they could have scored another 202 runs. But later it was found that even 160 runs were more than enough. He was good. There was a par score. What do you think? What about you Anees Bhai, what is your assessment? First of all I would say that this will be on a fresh pitch. A good pitch will be made. The match took place. I repeat because we are having a little network issue. So this will be played on the second wicket and fresh pitch. It will make a good wicket. As far as India is concerned, as far as I understand it will definitely chase. India's strength is that India has always been good at chasing and as far as I know Pakistan, it is their good practice to cannot take the pressure of chasing. As for me, They have a player who is an ex- Abhishek Sharma is a slogger. It is surprising that he called him a slogger. The guy who has scored he called him a slogger. The guy who has scored two international T20 100s and eight T20s combined in domestic T20s cannot be a slogger, brother. This is proper technical. Yes, he shoots freely like Travis Head or whoever Samayub also comes forward and attacks. So he would not have been a slogger. As far as the power play is concerned, India will chase your score if they bat first, so I am sure there is a talked about Mohammad Aamir. Mohammad Aamir has said that he considers Abhishek Sharma as a slogger. Whereas Anees Bhai like Abhishek Sharma was also saying that the number of international 100s that he has in T20 of sloggers and the way he has done in the last one year, no slogger becomes the number one ranked batsman in ICC for such a long time and if Pakistan feels that he is a slogger then they should see whether his 20 plus scores are more or his 40 plus scores are more in all the innings that he has played. So this was about Abhishek Sharma here. You raised the issue of Abhishek Sharma. One by one this issue is also coming out and I was seeing at many places that Pakistan may also think of dropping Shaheen Shah Afridi and playing Naseem Shah in this match. Do you think this is going to happen or are these just things that create an atmosphere? It will not happen as much as I repeat the match after their coach. Afridi will play. There are two reasons for this. You even two, his last one or two matches were not good on he bowled well against India in the Asia Cup final and left-handers have generally troubled us. I think he will play and can give runs with the second bat. If needed, I can give 10-15 runs. So I have a feeling that the fielders are very good. So all these three things go in his favor. So I don't think he will change at this moment. If you had to do it, you could have done it earlier. also have a negative sense in the sense that Pakistan might be a little nervous about their fixed combination and that might not be good for Shaheen Shah Afridi's confidence as well. All the while Shaheen Shah Afridi has looked quite colorless. So far in this World Cup, he was beaten against USA as well. So, it seems that So, it seems that Pakistan may still not think of changing him. Another big question is whether Babar Azam will be playing in the team or Fakhar Zaman can be given a chance. There are many things and some comments are also coming. I will take comments after this question but the question that is arising again and again is whether Babar Azam's innings against USA was still 40 runs in 32 balls with a strike rate of 140. But many people are talking about the fact that if Fakhar Zaman plays in place of Babar Azam, then the middle order of the Pakistan team, which is their biggest concern, becomes a little stronger. What do you think, you must have also heard the news that is coming. Do you think Pakistan can take a big decision like dropping Babar Azam ? Not at this moment. Yesterday I was talking to Moeen Ali. he should be dropped and Fakhar Zaman should be taken. Umar Gul also believed the same. But Umar Gul said that he will not do it at this moment. If it had to be done then it should have been done in the second match itself when he failed in the first match. hold one end. They will not focus so much on strike rate. Because if you saw, Pakistan collapsed in three matches. So they So they want this guy I will repeat mine, I had moved away from your hand because of the network. The reason for taking Babar Azam is that he can hold one end. So his job will be to hold one end so that wickets do not fall out of line. Absolutely. And I think that even after holding that, the strike rate cannot be 110-120, which has been a problem for Pakistan. But that problem of Pakistan continued. It is good for India. A comment has come from Ram Singh ji. They are saying that hey selection brother your voice is coming from saying that hey selection brother your voice is coming from both sides. So, Ram Bhai, both sides. So, Ram Bhai, since this is live, it is happening from UAE and India, so perhaps you will face some problem. I think there is a slight technical problem. I ca n't do much about it. Zee Tech News says Babar Taktuk is variant better for India. So many people have also talked about this that they are trolling Babar Azam and saying that brother Babar Azam is a great player from India, from Team India. Apart from this, Dimple has asked a question about Rinku Singh that what can happen to Rinku ? Dimple has a question about Naval Yadav Rinku Singh. Naval Yadav is saying till now only the team batting first has won in on this ground. What should India do? You said that India likes to chase but on this ground, batting first and then defending has proved more beneficial for all the teams so far and apart from that Atul Shukla is asking will you go to Lanka Atul Bhai, unfortunately we are not able to go to Sri Lanka, if Pakistan is not knocked out from Super A and comes in front of India in the semi-finals then definitely we will reach Sri Lanka. This time there was a little visa issue. There was no issue of accreditation. There was a visa issue. Due to which we have stopped there for a while. Here we could not go to Sri Lanka. Brijesh Patel is saying that I want India to choose bowling. Zee Tech News is saying tell Aamir not to give advice. He is also talking about his fixing issue. And Vijay Parmar, hello. Greetings brother. Ram Ram ji and apart from this there are other comments as well, after that Sudhir ji is saying that our runs, Hum Bahadur Gurung ji's comment is Abhishek Sharma, if Ishan Kishan was a Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Jaiswal, what would have been the beating of Pakistan, then they are also talking about the future of India, so want to ask you this, first of all, this discussion is going on about the team combination, we have talked a little about the combination of the Pakistan team and we understand that they might not change that combination because their players, even those players who are out of form, are such big players for them that a wrong signal will go that they are panicking. India might not have this problem as the change they are planning seems to be change they are planning seems to be as spinners work well on the Colombo pitch. We already have Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dubey to bowl medium fast and fast. 12 overs spin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakraborty, is Team India talking about this three combination, Anees Bhai, I would like to know from you, if you are hearing my voice then I think you are probably getting disconnected a bit, maybe there is a maybe there is a problem in the network there, Anees Bhai, is facing some problem in his network, due to which he is not with us. But this question, Anees bhai, if you are hearing it, then yes, dropping Adeep Singh and playing Kuldeep Yadav, do you think this will be a good strategy for India, especially on this Colombo pitch, because first of all, we are not able to read Kuldeep, in fact, when Kuldeep comes, Pakistan gets scared of him itself, there is definitely a discussion in the Pakistani media about how to read Kuldeep, how to play him, his four overs and and I think he was asked in the media also, Sur had said that you will see Kuldeep, if you are saying so, Sur's answer was similar and we had seen in the last match in Namibia also and Pandya were bowling in the power play, I have a feeling that unfortunately Arshdeep I have to sit out because India will go with proper eight batsmen. Absolutely, and eight batsmen is probably not a luxury these days I think. T20 is needed. The way we saw Pakistan saving that match against Netherlands. There, Rana Faheem Ashraf had batted at number eight and with Team India also batting at number eight, Team India also batting at number eight, one suggestion after another was coming up and that suggestion was whether Washington Sundar could be played in place of Rinku Singh so that you can get 12 overs of spin there as well. But is it a big difference between four overs of Washington Sundar and four overs of Kuldeep Yadav on this Colombo pitch? I you know what, this is a debatable question that if you drop Rinku Singh and take Washington Sundar then how many four spinners will you have? The regular four spinners are Washington Sundar, Kuldeep, Axar and our Varun Chakravarthy. [nasal sound] You know what I don't think India will do this. India does not do such a thing that it changes four or five posts at once. They are also Pakistan does not read him. Otherwise I would not have fed Kuldeep also. I am very strong. So we will not drop Rinku Singh. Yes, he did not score any runs in two matches. But in the last match he came in the last over. Hopefully Kuldeep will bat well. Sorry to your Rinku saying that Washington should be played in place of Rinku, who can bat with in place of Rinku, who can bat with beautiful spin. So, are all the people who are beautiful spin. So, are all the people who are batting is not going well and immediately put Washington in, is this unfair for Rinku Singh's batting position because he anyway comes at number seven and there is not much chance of batting there. There are not many such chances. You are absolutely right that right now the biggest strength of VDC India is that they do not make changes just because they did not score runs in one match. Brother, in his last match he came in for the last over and in the last over he was batting with a calendar, so he just had to attack and he is a smart player. India has also won many matches. He has also won his franchise. I think not and is a gun fielder. Wherever you look, you don't see anyone except Rinku Singh in 11. If you ask me, the Singh. Absolutely, absolutely and Rinku's fielding, whether it is inside the 30-yard circle or outside in the outfield, the way Rinku Singh runs like a cheetah is a big thing. Vijay Sharma ji's comment is that brother ask Anees bhai which Pakistani bowler and batsman can trouble India? Please answer this question, sir. You know what, if you ask me, I feel that he will trouble me a bit because he is a very smart spinner and he does not bowl fast, he bowls slow and if Premadasa's wicket is a bit slow then his ball will stop and come, he is going to be a difficult bowler, he has taken India's wickets at close range as well, it is not that India will play him with fear, the only thing is that if his ball is moving then take runs one by one, we have 16 overs left, absolutely, one more question is from Shubham Pandey that he is saying that tomorrow is going to be the last date of Tariq. What would you say on this? Do you think that What would you say on this? Do you think that this magical Usman Tariq, Usman Ajantha Mendes Tariq, who is going to play in Sri Lanka, is all this hype, Ravichandran Ashwin bhai also created a big hype that when he stops bowling, the batsman can move away. A lot of things are being said about him. I got a message from a Pakistani fan. He sent that clip and said, Chan Bhai, I watch a lot of your videos, but if Usman Tariq was such a great bowler then why was he not the highest wicket taker in PSL ? So his own statement is that perhaps India and the Indian media are completely behind his actions. Whereas the job of ICC is to see what is happening there and what is not happening. But is Usman Tariq a big threat to India? You know what we've just never played with it. His past record has been good. His past record has been good. But the matches he played were with small teams like Sri Lanka and he did not play many matches with big teams. So now I am definitely more than an Indian batsman. equal pressure on it too. Because he is also playing against India for the first time. So I think India will play openly against him and will not let him settle down. Hmm, absolutely, and the way you talked, you probably called Australia a small team because Australia's performance in Pakistan was not that of a small entire team. Mind you, it wasn't a mill match. David was not in the team because they were not playing with the full team. So when a team smaller than I means that if you do not take 11 proper players and go with the B team or the C team, then absolutely, absolutely, I am also saying the same thing that the way Australia is playing in the last two months, better than them, we were not considering them a big team, but the way Zimbabwe showed in this and the way their entire team is seen now, it seems that even if they exit from the first round, it will not be a big deal. It is a very big thing that the way Australia performed, here against Pakistan also Usman Tariq, since Usman Tariq was bowling very well against Australia, this must be seen and a question was also asked in this regard, I would like to take you to Surya Kumar Yadav's if people did not see it or did not hear it, then when Surya Kumar Yadav was asked this question that sometimes out of syllabus questions come in the exam, then is that Usman Tariq out of syllabus question for India ? So Surya Kumar Yadav replied that if an out of syllabus question comes then you do not leave it. You still attempt it and when you attempt it, many times you get an answer with full marks. So you are not such a big thing. Bowlers of this type are coming and Team India is continuously practicing against this type of action. Team India is continuously practicing against this type of action. Tell me this, if I talk on behalf of the Indian team, we have talked about a lot of bowling from the Indian team's side. if I talk on behalf of the Indian team, we have talked about a lot of bowling from the Indian team's side. front of whom the Pakistan cricket team is facing. Despite a very good start in the Asia Cup, team is facing. Despite a very good start in the Asia Cup, world's number one bowler? India's Varun Chakraborty is consistently bowling like the world's number one bowler. Do you think we will see a big score tomorrow or will 160-170 be the only score where the fight will take place? If Pakistan had batted first, they would have gone with the same defensive mindset as they had in Zimbabwe. He said that maybe we can catch India in 160-170 due to their spinners. If India goes to bat first, I don't think they will go for 160. They will go all out. Yes, if wickets fall like in USA, then we will have to be a little careful but I think India will cross 180 probably more if the wicket is a belter. Absolutely absolutely. So, there is a lot of talk about this fresh pitch, Anees Bhai, that Premadasa Stadium is a very big stadium. Premadasa Stadium is a very big stadium. But do you think that with the kind of firepower Team India has, this talk of big stadiums, this talk of long sixes, does Team India have bigger hitters than Pakistan? Is this peacock a loss for Pakistan or is it a bigger loss for Team India? I repeat the question. When you bat in a big stadium , you lack power hitters. Especially when I look at Pakistan's batting , do you think this big challenge is For batting, it is not rotate the strike. Indian batsmen also score runs and rotate the strike. So, the bigger the stadium, the more double- triple you will get and if you look at India's batting in the past, they have not only hit fours and sixes but have also run. If Indians have fitness then I feel that India has the advantage of having a stadium as big as its size. If you think that Abhishek Sharma will be caught on the boundary or Ishan Kishan, then you can be caught even in a small stadium like we saw in Mumbai. But India's advantage, as I said, is that after hitting one six, they do not go for the second six. We also take single and double. part two of the documentary again or is there any other batsman who you or is there any other batsman who you think can bat well? form has been consistently good. So I don't think Documentary 2 will come. Because I think Bumrah will finish the job in the power play tomorrow. Because they have to get swing there and Bumrah will bowl two overs because unless I Bumrah is an intelligent bowler, he knows how to keep his mind. He has never made such a statement nor will he do so. Even after taking a wicket, he will move ahead with a smile. Absolutely. And GTech News is also saying that Brother Tomorrow We Have To Finish The Game Of That Documentary Guy Also. So his documentary is also probably going to end there tomorrow. Apart from that, I have one last question, sir. This is the last question and I will have to take this question from you. Dhiru Sports has the last question and that question is how many second hand TVs were sold in Pakistan yesterday? They have been sold [laughs] But a lot of second hand TVs have He has sold a lot of second hand TVs. We will know tomorrow how many have been sold. Absolutely, we will know tomorrow how many have been sold and how many will be sold. Thank you so much Anees Bhai for joining us. Keeping an eye on the India vs Pakistan match. Whatever happens, we will connect with you again to discuss it. I know you're throwing a watch party in Dubai. Tell me a little bit about that. I Tell me a little bit about that. I an opportunity for us to watch the Indian-Pakistan match together. Obviously, what you supporting India. But I have some friends who are Pakistani. He supports Pakistanis. Let's enjoy the match. There is banter, there is a drummer. After that there is DJ, dance and music. The match ends. It feels sad for a while that brother, a team lost. Mostly Pakistani loses. So O Mostly Pakistani loses. So O Inshallah she will lose tomorrow too. But for any reason we lost. So friend, he will not get headache. We will meet again and kill them again. We will meet again and kill them again. That's what the mentality is. This T20 World Cup match is at least one thing that after this match both the teams will proceed in Super A. So, this is probably not a do or die situation for the tournament. But despite that, whether it is do or die or not, India-Pakistan match is always a big one and everyone will be there with a big eye on India-Pakistan match. Really sorry to those who were thinking that we were expecting that we would be able to reach Colombo. That trip to Colombo did not happen. But in the upcoming tournament, there will be full focus on the India-Pakistan match and we will bring live coverage before and after the India-Pakistan match. and we will bring live coverage before and after the India-Pakistan match. Thank you so much and see you after the match. Let's celebrate India's victory and Remember this, you have to wear this T-shirt tomorrow brother. India India. Bhai. Thank you so much. Bye bye. Bye.