Dramatically, Pakistan took a U-turn and decided not to play the February 15 T20 World Cup 2026 match against India as well. However, reacting to the U-turn, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar slammed Pakistan.

“They said that they stood with Bangladesh. Because Bangladesh was not allowed to have its matches in Sri Lanka, how can you say that you have stood with them? Bangladesh is out of the tournament. Because of these special circumstances, the ICC was never going to withhold Bangladesh’s appearance money or penalise it. I don’t think that could have happened because it was such a last-minute situation,” Gavaskar told India Today.

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However, he also claimed that Pakistan should have opted out of the tournament instead if they truly wished to stand with Bangladesh as well.

“To say that you have helped Bangladesh get their share of the pie-sure, you might have got them their share of the pie. But have you got them back into the tournament? You haven’t. If you really stood with Bangladesh, you should have also opted out of the entire tournament. Why are you only skipping the India match? India is not the only one to object to Bangladesh’s request. There were 11 or 12 other countries that said Bangladesh’s matches could not be shifted to Sri Lanka, but you are still going to play them. So what are you talking about?” he concluded.

India will take on Pakistan on February 15 in a T20 World Cup Group A match in Colombo.