Anand Dubey Criticizes India-Pakistan T20 Match as Business
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anand Dubey criticised the scheduling of the India-Pakistan match in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, questioning the rationale behind sporting ties amid political tensions. He remarked, “We have great respect for the sport, but on one side, the Prime Minister says that blood and water cannot flow together.”
Dubey added, “On the other side, we see that sometimes we have to play matches with Bangladesh, sometimes with Pakistan, why? Pakistan’s defeat is certain. Our team is so strong that no one can beat them, but a defeated, useless team first threatens us that they won’t play the match because they want to show friendship with Bangladesh, and on the other hand, they play the match because the PCB will get money. This is not sport, it’s business.”
His remarks come amid intensified political discourse surrounding sporting engagements between India and Pakistan during multilateral tournaments.
The high-profile India versus Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 match is scheduled to take place on January 31 at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav declined to comment on the Asia Cup handshake controversy, stating, “wait 24 hours.”
Cricket fans gathered outside the Colombo Stadium expressed excitement for the eagerly anticipated match where India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, and Pakistan, captained by Salman Ali Agha, will face each other in their third group-stage match of the tournament.
Supporters of both teams arrived at the R Premadasa Stadium hours before the match commenced. Kuldeep Singh, an Indian fan speaking to ANI, said he travelled from India out of enthusiasm and expressed confidence in India’s victory as in previous encounters. “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 supporter, Mohammad Afsar, noted the strong excitement for the fixture and the team’s recent winning record, adding eagerness to see 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.”
A Pakistani fan warned that Pakistan will dominate India, citing historical head-to-head results and suggesting India’s overconfidence may lead to defeat. “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, with both teams securing victories. India achieved wins against the United States of America and Namibia, while Pakistan beat the Netherlands and the USA.
India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, currently tops Group A with four points and a Net Run Rate (NRR) of +3.050. Pakistan holds second place with four points and an NRR of +0.932.
Earlier on January 31, intense rainfall was reported in Colombo, but conditions are expected to remain dry for the evening start time, despite 100% cloud cover forecast.
Historically, India holds a strong record against Pakistan in this format, winning 13 out of 16 total T20 International encounters, including a 7-1 advantage in T20 World Cup matches.
