Former Indian Test opener Sadagopan Ramesh has slammed Pakistan amid boycott threat ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026. Ramesh said Pakistan had an opportunity to take revenge of their previous losses but they are taking vengeance by opting not to play against the arch-rivals.
While the Pakistan government has given permission to the team to travel to Sri Lanka, they said the side will not take the field against India. India and Pakistan were once again placed in the same group by the ICC and they were all set to lock horns against each other on 15th February at Colombo.
Meanwhile, India has a 13-3 win-loss record against Pakistan in T20Is, whereas the Men in Blue have a 7-1 record against the arch-rivals in the T20 World Cup.
Sadagopan Ramesh said on his YouTube Channel, “You are getting an opportunity to face India in a marquee event like the World Cup. This was a chance for them to come out fired up to avenge their previous defeats. But they are taking revenge by not playing itself,” he said.
“The Pakistan government must have called the PCB and asked for a plan to avoid the embarrassment of losing every time to India. The PCB must have said we won’t play the match itself as a tactic to avoid losing to India. The truth is Pakistan are scared of facing India.”
The former flamboyant batter said Pakistan should learn from Australia, who would have definitely taken the field in such a situation.
“This is where you should learn from Australia. If they were in a similar situation, they would bravely take the field and go all out to win the contest. The only loss for India is the satisfaction of beating Pakistan again in a World Cup,” said Ramesh (via the aforementioned source).
“If this is Pakistan’s decision, the ICC should take it in writing and ensure they lose the two points immediately. Because if they lose to the USA or the Netherlands, they’ll quickly change their decision and play the match against India. So the ICC should close the game for such a U-turn. It’ll be the ultimate drama if such a thing transpires.”
India will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against the USA on February 7.
