India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav has confirmed that the Men in Blue will travel to Colombo for the Pakistan match, irrespective of Pakistan’s participation.
A couple of days ago, it was reported that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had instructed Team India to fly to Sri Lanka for the February 15 fixture and be present at the ground until the match referee cancels the India vs Pakistan match.
India ready for Pakistan match
It turns out that was correct. Suryakumar has confirmed that Team India will prepare for all matches, including the Pakistan one. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.
“Mindset is clear… humne mana nahi kiya khelne kie liye. Udhar se mana kiya hai. ICC ne fixture diya hai. Humari flight book hai Colombo ki, hum to jaa rahe hai. Baaki dekh lege (our mindset is clear; we didn’t say no to play, they did. ICC has announced the fixtures, our flight is booked, and we are going to Colombo. The rest we will see when we get there),” Suryakumar said during the captain’s day in Mumbai.
Boycott, bad for the game?
Pakistan’s government had announced the decision to boycott the India match on February 1. But didn’t provide the reason for it. That was until yesterday. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated that they won’t play India to express solidarity with Bangladesh, who, in their opinion, have been treated unjustly.
Suryakumar was asked whether he thinks the India vs Pakistan match getting cancelled/boycotted would affect the game. “Their decision is not in my control. We have been told to play the game on the 15th. We played them three times during the Asia Cup at a neutral venue. If we get an opportunity again in Colombo, we will play again,” he responded.
“It’s not my call. It’s not an easy job; they must be working out. It has come from the government; it will be a difficult situation to deal with,” he added.
