India playing XI for IND vs PAK T20 World Cup 2026 match: Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav has been asked to bat first after Pakistan won the toss and elected to bowl first in Colombo.
Citing the slow nature of the R. Premadasa pitch, India has opted for a spin-heavy attack and bolstered their opening firepower.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav confirmed two major changes for Pakistan showdown. In a major boost, Abhishek Sharma returns to open after recovering from illness, replacing Sanju Samson. Tactically, India opted for more spin on the slow Colombo deck, bringing in Kuldeep Yadav for pacer Arshdeep Singh.
Suryakumar Yadav, India captain, said after the toss: “Not at all, we were looking to bat first. We won last two games defending so we don’t want to change it. It is an occasion, it’s a high-stake game. This sport teaches you a lot of things, any side can win the game on a given day. Two changes. Abhishek Sharma comes in and Kuldeep Yadav is in for Arshdeep Singh.”
India playing XI for IND vs PAK match: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (WK), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav.
Salman Agha, Pakistan captain, after winning the toss said: “We want to bowl first. It looks a bit tacky, so we feel it will assist the bowlers for the first few overs so we want to use that. We are relaxed in our group and excited for this challenge. Bigger ground than SSC and the pitch is slower than SSC. Same team for us.”
Pakistan playing XI: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Agha (c), Babar Azam, Usman Khan (wk), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Usman Tariq and, Abrar Ahmed.
Maintaining the “status quo” since 2025 Asia Cup, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav skipped the customary handshake with Salman Ali Agha at the toss today. This gesture, supported by BCCI, honors victims of Pahalgam terror attack and shows solidarity with the Indian Army’s Operation Sindoor.
