‘They are scared’ – Former India captain gives his take on Pakistan’s 2026 T20 World Cup boycott threat

With the T20 World Cup 2026 just a few days away, the cricket world has been stunned by Pakistan’s controversial decision to skip their high-octane Group A clash against India on February 15 in Colombo, and former India captain, Kris Srikkanth has made a blunt observation about their shocking announcement. 

Pakistan’s government recently confirmed that while their national side will compete in the tournament, it will boycott the scheduled India clash, without citing any specific reasons.

Reacting that the India vs Pakistan battle may already be decided off the field, the ex-skipper did not mince words, and said that there was anyway no competition between the two arch-rivals.

“Empty vessels make more noise. Pakistan are scared. Now, in the U19 World Cup also they lost. So they are thinking of giving a walkover. Whether they play or not, the game is anyway a walkover for India. It does not matter if they come or not. Asia Cup, they played all the games against India,” he said on his YouTube channel ‘Cheeky Cheeka’.

The announcement came as a surprise, as Pakistan had played all their matches against India in the 2025 Asia Cup, albeit losing in all the three encounters.

Pakistan’s value absolutely diminishes without India: Aakash Chopra

Former opener Aakash Chopra, too, had his say on the ongoing controversy surrounding the marquee clash. He was blunt with his words, saying only Pakistan will suffer with this fiasco, as Indian cricket does not need Pakistan to stay relevant.

“Pakistan is important because the India-Pakistan rivalry is alive. The day you kill that rivalry, that India and Pakistan will not play against each other, India will continue on their merry way, but Pakistan’s value, in terms of what they bring to the table, absolutely diminishes,” said Chopra.

The arch-rivals are scheduled to face-off on February 15, and if Pakistan fails to take the field on that day, India will be awarded two points without playing a ball.