Ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026 clash against India, Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan stated that the match is not a big deal. Citing the team's recent form, he expressed confidence and asserted it will not be a one-sided contest. Pakistan enters the February 15 game in Colombo as underdogs.
Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan has stated that the highly anticipated fixture against India in the T20 World Cup 2026 is not a big deal. His 73-run knock powered the team to a second successive win over the USA, and Farhan said the side is well prepared to handle the challenge.
Citing recent performances from players like Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan, Farhan noted, “See, when you win two matches and are at the top of the table, you feel confident. The upcoming match is not such a big deal, we’re not playing against them for the first time. We’ve played before and this time we’ll play with a different mindset. You’ve seen us in the shake-up. You must have seen our struggle in the middle. You must have seen that Shadaab is making run, Nawaz is scoring runs. So hopefully you will enjoy our game against them.” He made these remarks after the win against the USA on Tuesday in Colombo.
The India vs Pakistan group stage match, now proceeding as scheduled on February 15, sees Pakistan as underdogs. They have lost to India in recent ICC events except for one match in the 2021 T20 World Cup. India's captain Suryakumar Yadav had remarked during the Asia Cup, which India won, that matches against Pakistan have become one-sided due to the class gulf. Farhan refuted this, saying, “No, I think the way we played in the last Asia Cup, we didn’t play one-sided. We played and fought till the end. Hopefully this time against we’ll play a wonderful game.”
During the Asia Cup, Farhan had a strong showing against India, particularly facing Jasprit Bumrah. He added, “I think when you make runs you are confident. I am also very confident and the way the last two innings have gone, I’m very confident. It’s a normal match. We’ll play like a normal match. We won’t put it in our head that this is an India–Pakistan match, it is a normal match and we will play it like a normal match.” India has beaten Pakistan eight times in the last 10 encounters across all formats.
