Virat Kohli’s record against Pakistan has been excellentImage Credit source: PTI
Between India and Pakistan on Sunday 15th February at Colombo’s R. The T20 World Cup 2026 match will be played at Premadasa Stadium. The current world champion will enter this match as a contender for victory. Considering the mutual records of both the teams and the form of the last few months in this tournament, India has the upper hand. But this India-Pakistan match is bringing such coincidences in which one player was the architect of the success of Team India and this time he is not a part of the match. That is Virat Kohli.
Kohli will not play this time
When this match will be played on Sunday, it will be the first time in the last one and a half decade that Virat Kohli will not be a part of the India-Pakistan match in any World Cup. Ever since Kohli entered international cricket, his bat has been against Pakistan almost every time. Especially in the World Cup, it is Virat Kohli on most occasions. team india Was the biggest star of the victory. This time he is not there but still the Indian team is a contender.
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Yet, over the years, fans have become so used to seeing Kohli leading Team India to victory against Pakistan that this match will seem a bit lonely without him. But this time the fans will also miss Kohli because Virat Kohli has a special connection with the date of 15th February, Premadasa Stadium of Colombo and the India-Pakistan match, which also has a history of victory.
Premadasa Stadium star Kohli
Actually, till date 3 matches (2 ODI, 1 T20) have been played between India and Pakistan in Premadasa Stadium, out of which India has won 2. In both of these, Kohli was not only a part of Team India but was also the player of the match. The match in which India lost was played in 2004 and Kohli was not in international cricket at that time. The last encounter between India and Pakistan on this ground was in the 2023 Asia Cup, when Kohli scored a century and India won by 228 runs.
But the only T20 match that was played here was in the World Cup 14 years ago. In the T20 World Cup 2012, Kohli had scored unbeaten 78 runs against Pakistan and led the team to victory. He also took 1 wicket. After the connection between the stadium and the T20 World Cup, now let us tell you the coincidence of 15th February.
Match on 15th February after 11 years
Before the match on Sunday, there was a World Cup match between India and Pakistan on 15th February. This match took place exactly 11 years ago in the ODI World Cup 2015. In that match held in Adelaide on 15 February 2015, Virat Kohli had scored a century against Pakistan and Team India had won that match also. Now, no one can predict whether what happened in the past will be repeated in the present or the future, but without Kohli, the India-Pakistan T20 World Cup match will seem a bit incomplete.
