Former India captain Rohit Sharma was a special guest at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Group A clash between India and Pakistan at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Sunday.
Now serving as the ICC’s brand ambassador for the tournament, Rohit had earlier attended India’s opening fixture at the Wankhede Stadium. Having led India to the 2024 T20 World Cup title, he flew to Colombo for the high-profile encounter.
Hug goes viral
Ahead of the match, Rohit was seen warmly hugging former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram during an on-field appearance arranged by the ICC. The moment quickly went viral on social media, drawing attention amid the intense rivalry narrative surrounding the fixture.
Meanwhile, India captain Suryakumar Yadav continued the recent practice of not shaking hands with Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha at the toss — a protocol followed since the Asia Cup 2025.
Speaking in a video shared by the ICC, Rohit reflected on his favourite T20 World Cup memory against Pakistan, recalling the 2007 final triumph and a memorable clash in Melbourne a few years ago.
India register record win
On the field, India delivered a commanding performance, defeating Pakistan by 61 runs — their biggest-ever win over their arch-rivals in T20 World Cup history.
Opener Ishan Kishan smashed 77 off 40 balls to propel India to 175/7. Pakistan were later bowled out for 114, with Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel claiming two wickets each.
“This is for India. We played the brand of cricket we wanted,” Suryakumar said after the emphatic victory, which extended India’s T20 World Cup head-to-head lead over Pakistan to 8-1.