Indian T-20 cricket team captain Suryakumar Yadav has confirmed that the Indian team will travel to Sri Lanka for its scheduled ICC T20 World Cup group-stage match against Pakistan, despite Pakistan’s announcement that it will boycott the fixture.
He expressed this while addressing the captains’ pre-tournament press conference in Mumbai on Thursday.
The high-profile India and Pakistan match is scheduled to be played on February 15 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
However, the situation surrounding the contest has become uncertain after the Pakistani government announced that its national team would not take part in the match against India. The development has raised concerns within the International Cricket Council (ICC), given the importance of the fixture to the tournament.
Suryakumar Yadav stated that India will not alter its preparations or schedule. He said the team’s plans are very clear and confirmed that travel arrangements to Colombo have already been finalised.
“Our flight has been booked, and we will go to Sri Lanka as per the schedule,” Suryakumar said. He added that the Indian team will fully comply with all tournament regulations and ICC protocols.
As per ICC regulations, if Pakistan does not arrive at the ground at the scheduled time, the match referee will officially declare the match abandoned. Only after this formal announcement can India be awarded the two points.
The ICC T20 World Cup is set to begin on February 7. Pakistan’s group includes India, Namibia, the Netherlands, and the United States. The India-Pakistan clash was widely regarded as the marquee match of the tournament, drawing global attention even before the controversy.
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