As anticipation builds for one of cricket’s most exciting rivalries, Indiaassistant coach of Ryan ten Doeschate acknowledged what was to come T20 World Cup 2026 clash against Pakistan it won’t be right. While the political uncertainty surrounding the fixture briefly overshadowed the preparations, the Indian camp insists its focus has never changed.
India was ready for a high-profile clash: Ryan ten Doeschate
Speaking in Delhi on Tuesday, a day after Pakistan officially withdrew its boycott stance for the February 15 group stage encounter, Ten Doeschate expressed confidence that the competition would go ahead as planned. More importantly, he emphasized that India is preparing along with the assumption that a high-level game will take place.
“First of all, it’s great to get the game back on track.” Ten Doeschate said while talking to reporters before the match against India Namibia.
“We never changed our preparation thinking it wasn’t going to happen. We were confident something would work out, so there’s no major change in planning from our side.” he added.
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Ten Doeschate on India vs Pakistan
The match will be played at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo where Pakistan is already well settled. The Green Men have been in the Sri Lankan capital for almost two weeks and play their first group game at the Sinhalese Sports Club. According to Ten Doeschate, this could give Pakistan a subtle but meaningful advantage in the long run.
“It will be tough to go to Colombo, where Pakistan have been for the last two weeks. They have had time to adjust to the conditions, the weather and the pitches. We understand that and respect that.” Ten Doeschate explained.
Pakistan also enjoyed a four-day break between their second group match on February 10 and India on February 15 – a window that allowed them to recover and fine-tune their strategy. India, on the other hand, faces a tighter schedule. They are set to play Namibia in Delhi on Thursday before flying to Colombo on February 13 – leaving them minimal time to acclimatise ahead of the blockbuster showdown.
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