New Delhi [India], February 15 : Indian cricketer Kuldeep Yadav's coach Kapil Pandey, and all-rounder Shivam Dube's childhood coach Satish Samant expressed excitement for the India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 match in Colombo's R Premadasa Stadium on Sunday.
Kapil Pandey, while speaking to ANI, called it a huge match and backed India to defeat Pakistan. He expressed confidence that Kuldeep Yadav will play and perform well, citing his strong record, and said players like Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Abhishek Sharma and Hardik Pandya could shine, while Jasprit Bumrah would be dangerous with the ball.
"This is a very big match. I hope Suryakumar Yadav & Co. will defeat Pakistan again and clinch a victory. Kuldeep Yadav should play, he has been performing consistently. I 100% believe he will play against Pakistan as his record is also good against them. The Indian team is very strong. The likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Abhishek Sharma and Hardik Pandya are hopefully going to shine for India. In the bowling, I think Bumrah will be dangerous in the match," Kapil Pandey told ANI.
Satish Samant, Shivam Dube's childhood coach, said there is massive excitement around the India-Pakistan clash, given the rivalry and global interest. He expressed hope that India will win, praised Shivam Dube's recent performances and noted that Dube and Hardik Pandya provide valuable pace options on Sri Lankan pitches, allowing the team to include more spinners. He added that no victory feels better than beating Pakistan.
"There's excitement for the match; people always wait for an India vs Pakistan contest. There's so much competition and sentiment involved. The match is enjoyed all over the world. I hope the Indian cricket team performs well in the match and wins. Shivam Dube performed well against New Zealand prior to the World Cup. He also did well in India's second match at the World Cup. Alongside Hardik, Dube is a great option to play on Sri Lankan pitches as it allows the team to play more spinners in place of a pure fast bowler, since Pandya and Dube already provide pace bowling options," Satish Samant said.
"No feeling can match the feeling of defeating Pakistan," Satish added.
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.