Wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson was excluded from India’s playing XI for the T20 World Cup 2026 clash against Pakistan at R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, on Sunday, February 15. He had featured in India’s 93-run win over Namibia earlier this week.
Samson was left out to make way for Abhishek Sharma, who returned to the side after missing the previous game due to a stomach bug. Alongside this, India made another change, with left-arm pacer Arshdeep Yadav replaced by spinner Kuldeep Yadav.
Meanwhile, Pakistan won the toss and opted to field first. At the toss, India captain Suryakumar Yadav said (via Cricbuzz):
“We were looking to bat first. We’ve seen the results here, and we’ve batted in the last two games and won both the games defending, so we don’t want to change anything. (On the big occasion) I think it’s easy to say that it’s just another game, but it is an occasion.”
“These games are always very high stakes, but at the same time, you’ve got to know what you want to do. That’s more important. Stay in the present, back your skills, put your A game forward and be yourself.”
Playing XI of both teams:
IND: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah
PAK: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Agha(c), Babar Azam, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Usman Khan(w), Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq
Sanju Samson Scores Quick Runs In India vs Namibia T20 World Cup 2026
Sanju Samson got an opportunity to bat against Namibia in Abhishek Sharma’s absence. He began aggressively after India were sent in, hitting three sixes and a four, but couldn’t build on the strong start.
The 31-year-old scored 22 runs off eight balls before being dismissed by Ben Shikongo. His form had been under scrutiny leading up to the T20 World Cup 2026, having scored only 46 runs in five innings during the five-match home T20I series against New Zealand.
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