New Delhi [India], February 15 : RJD MP Manoj Jha on Sunday criticised the India-Pakistan T20 World Cup match, saying it's a "funny situation" with concerns over playing the match.
Speaking to ANI, he questioned the focus on handshakes amidst billions of rupees involved, especially after the Pahalgam attack. Jha stated, "Either play or not. Don't try to subscribe to either narrative through pretence or deception."
"I'll be blunt, we've created a very funny situation. If there are concerns, the choice is whether to play or not. They will play, and the media will focus on whether they shake hands. Isn't this funny? Isn't this an attempt to diminish the image of a huge country like India? I know billions of rupees are involved," he said.
The match is happening despite Pakistan initially deciding to boycott, citing solidarity with Bangladesh. The ICC warned Pakistan of sanctions, leading to a U-turn.
The high-voltage India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 match is scheduled to take place today, Sunday, 15 February 2026, at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 7 PM IST.
India's captain Suryakumar Yadav avoided commenting on the handshake controversy, saying "wait 24 hours."
Cricket fans outside Colombo's R Premadasa Stadium expressed their excitement for the much-awaited India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 match on Sunday.
India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, and Pakistan, led by Salman Ali Agha, will face each other in their third group-stage match at the marquee tournament.
Fans of both teams flocked to the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo even hours before the match.
An Indian fan, Kuldeep Singh, while speaking to ANI, said that he travelled from India out of excitement and is confident India will win, as they have in the past."The excitement has pulled me to come here all the way from India. We have full belief that India will win, like they always have in the past," he said.
Another Indian fan, Mohammad Afsar, said there is great excitement for the India vs Pakistan match, with supporters coming to cheer the team, noting India's strong recent record and expressing eagerness to watch Indian opener Abhishek Sharma play.
"There's a lot of excitement for the match. We have come here to support our team. If you look at the records from the last 10-15 years, we have won. We are excited to see Abhishek Sharma," he said.
A Pakistani fan, on the other hand, warned that Pakistan will dominate India, citing historical head-to-head records and claiming India's overconfidence could cause their downfall.
"Pakistan fans will wash you away like a cyclone. Take a look at the complete history of India-Pakistan matches, and you will see who has dominated more. India's overconfidence will lead to its downfall," he said.
Both India and Pakistan have played two matches each in the tournament so far. Both have registered victories in those games. While India will enter the contest on the back of wins against the United States of America and Namibia, Pakistan has defeated the Netherlands and the USA.
While the Suryakumar Yadav-led India are placed on top of Group A standings with four points and the Net Run Rate (NRR) of +3.050, Pakistan are placed second with four points, too, and an NRR of +0.932.
Meanwhile, Intense rainfall was reported in Colombo earlier today, but conditions are expected to remain dry for the evening start time, though 100% cloud cover is anticipated.
India has a dominant historical record against Pakistan in this format, winning 13 out of 16 total T20I encounters, including a 7-1 lead in T20 World Cup matches.