'Our flight is booked, we're going': Suryakumar on India vs Pakistan

Will India and Pakistan face each other on February 15 in Colombo?

Even as that question hangs heavy like the thick and suffocating Mumbai smog over the T20 World Cup 2026, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav said his team will travel to Colombo whether the match happens or not.

"[Our] Mindset is pretty clear," Suryakumar said at the captains' media briefing on Thursday in Mumbai. "We did not refuse to play them. The refusal came from them [Pakistan]. ICC organised the fixture. BCCI and [Indian] government decided to play in neutral venue in coordination with ICC. Our flight to Colombo is booked. So we are going. We'll see what happens later."

Defending champions India begin their World Cup campaign on the opening day - February 7 - against USA in Mumbai. India start as firm favorites based on their phenomenal domination in the format in this World Cup cycle. Suryakumar's team provided further evidence of that on Monday evening in Navi Mumbai where they nudged aside South Africa in the warm-up match. Such form has allowed Suryakumar to be more relaxed and light-hearted during media briefings and same was the case on Thursday.

Asked what the mood in the Indian dressing room was around the Pakistan match, Suryakumar said: "The discussion in the team is ekdum (absolutely) clear. First we play the match on February 7, then we will head to Delhi (Namibia on February 12) and then we will travel to Colombo."

Suryakumar's is the first formal response from the India side on the topic, and comes a day after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his government had taken a "considered stance" on boycotting the India match and did not want "politics in sport".

This is the second time in six months Suryakumar has found himself facing questions on how India-Pakistan matches were getting impacted due to the fraught political relations between the two nations, after the Asia Cup controversy last year. The BCCI had instructed the Indian team then to not shake hands with the Pakistan team, at the behest of the Indian government. India then refused to receive the Asia Cup trophy after winning the tournament from ACC president and PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who also declined to hand over the trophy.

Suryakumar said he could not do much about the current situation apart from turning up with his team in Colombo.

"Their [Pakistan] decision is not in my control," he said. "I wish I could take that decision. But then it's their [Pakistan's] call. We've been told that we have to play on the 15th. We played the Asia Cup, we played three times. We played some good cricket against them. We won. We were happy. And, similarly, if we get an opportunity again in Colombo we will definitely play our game.

"I feel it is not an easy job. I'm sure they must be working out something. But if it [the boycott] has come from the other government or the nation, how can... It is a difficult call for them as well. I know it'll be a difficult situation. But, as I said, if we are told and the fixtures are ready we will definitely go ahead and play."