T20 World Cup 2026: Gautam Gambhir avoids query on IND vs PAK match boycott - WATCH
Fans are currently only asking one question: will Pakistan enter the field in the T20 World Cup match against India on February 15th, or will they adhere to their government's decision to boycott that match? As usual, Indian media and former cricketers consistently oppose the decision, while Pakistani media and cricketers support it.
The Indian cricket team’s current head coach, Gautam Gambhir, recently engaged with media queries, but he refused to answer any question regarding Pakistan’s controversial boycott of the India match during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. His attitude clearly shows that his focus right now is solely on cricket and not on any kind of controversy.
Recently, a video of him went viral in which media personnel were wishing him luck for the T20 World Cup, to which Gautam Gambhir replied with a "thank you." However, when he was asked about boycotting Pakistan, Gambhir remained silent and ignored the question, and just acknowledged “Thank you” for the wishes.
The 10th edition of the T20 World Cup is set to start on February 7; however Pakistan Govt announced that Salman Ali Agha’s men in green will participate in the event, but they will not enter the ground against India and boycott the match. Following this, Pakistan T20I skipper Salman Ali Agha also said that his team will follow the Pakistan Govt's decision during a press conference.
Pakistan is kept in group A along with archrivals India, Namibia, the Netherlands, and the United States of America. They will start their campaign against the Netherlands in the opening match, followed by the USA on February 10, India on February 15 and Namibia on February 18.
It will be quite interesting to see whether the Pakistani government changes its decision in the coming days and allows the Pakistan cricket team to play against India or not. Several reports suggest that if Pakistan does not play against India, they will suffer significant financial losses and severe damage.
Former Pakistani cricketer Kamran Akmal criticised the ICC and backed the Pakistan government's decision. He said,
“PCB shouldn't give up! The Pakistan Cricket Board has been instructed by the ICC to rethink their decision to boycott the India match. Was ICC sleeping when the Asia Cup happened in the hybrid model? Was ICC sleeping when India said they would not participate in the Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan and only play on a neutral venue? Despite the heightened hostilities between the two nations, how many times has Pakistan played in India?”
