'There Is No Better Time Than Today’s Match..': India Captain Suryakumar Yadav Backed To End Prolonged Half-century Drought Against Pakistan in T20 World Cup 2026

A lot will be at stake when defending champions India face off against archrival Pakistan at R Premdasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday. Having beaten Pakistan seven out of eight times in the T20 World Cup, the odds are in favour of the Men In Blue heavily.

Suryakumar Yadav Backed To End Prolonged Half-century Drought

India defeated Pakistan thrice on their way to the Asia Cup title last year and their recent performance in the shortest format has made them a very formidable side. They haven't lost a single match since the 2024 T20 World Cup final and will look to keep their record intact.

Suryakumar Yadav's form will be critical to India's plans and the Indian captain will be very keen to end his half-century drought against Pakistan. India's T20I captain hasn't breached the fifty-run mark, but Abhishek Nayar believes this is the perfect time for him to end his drought.

While interacting with JioHotstar, the KKR coach said, “Suryakumar Yadav is someone who looks at his stats a lot. He understands what he needs to do. I am pretty sure he will want to correct his stats against Pakistan, which show he has not scored a fifty against them yet. There is no better time than today’s match. Surya is in form and getting runs. What will be critical for him is how he starts against spin. We have often seen that the only way to put Surya under pressure is to bring spin early, keep the ball on a length, cover that square leg area, and keep targeting him. It will be very interesting to see how he navigates that when he takes the field against Pakistan.”

Will India Unleash Kuldeep Yadav Against Pakistan?

Sri Lankan pitches are traditionally on the slower side, and the Premadasa Stadium surface will be no different. This match is set to take place on a used track—the same one where Zimbabwe faced Australia. Spin is expected to dominate proceedings here, which could further prompt both teams to bolster their lineups with multiple spinners. Pakistan are likely to go in as five spin options, while India may include either Kuldeep Yadav or Washington Sundar to strengthen their spin attack.

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Kuldeep could be a very tricky customer, given his recent form in the shortest format, and he could also chip in with a few runs if needed.

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