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India Favorites vs Pakistan But Must Beware Slow Pitch: Nayan Mongia

Former Indian cricketer Nayan Mongia has backed India as favorites for their high-voltage T20 World Cup clash against Pakistan in Colombo. He specifically praised all-rounder Hardik Pandya as one of the best in the format, highlighting his current brilliant form with both bat and ball. However, Mongia cautioned that India must be careful on Sri Lanka's slow pitches where spinners are expected to dominate. The match faces a potential disruption from rain, with forecasts predicting showers in Colombo around the scheduled start time.

Key Points: India vs Pakistan T20 WC: Mongia's Favorites Warning

  • India start as favorites
  • Beware slow, spinner-friendly pitch
  • Hardik Pandya hailed as top all-rounder
  • Rain threat for Colombo clash
  • Both teams unbeaten so far
2 min read

India start as favourites, but will have to be careful: Nayan Mongia ahead of India vs Pakistan clash

Nayan Mongia says India are favorites vs Pakistan but must be careful on Sri Lanka's slow, spinner-friendly pitch. Match may be affected by rain.

"Hardik Pandya is my all-time favourite. He is one of the best all-rounders in the T20 format. - Nayan Mongia"

Vadodara, February 15

Former Indian cricketer Nayan Mongia backed Team India as the favourites to win Sunday's much-awaited India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 match at Colombo's R Premadasa Stadium. He also hailed the Indian star all-rounder Hardik Pandya as one of the best in the T20 format and lauded his recent form.

Former India wicketkeeper Nayan Mongia praised Hardik Pandya as one of the best T20 all-rounders, highlighting his batting and bowling. He said India start as favourites against Pakistan but must be cautious on Sri Lanka's slow, spinner-friendly pitches.

"The India has been performing in the ICC tournaments. Hardik Pandya is my all-time favourite. He is one of the best all-rounders in the T20 format. The way he's batting and the way he's performing with the ball, he is doing brilliantly. It will be fun to watch if he performs against Pakistan. They are playing in Sri Lanka; the wicket is slow, and spinners will dominate. While India start as favourites, they will have to be careful," Nayan Mongia told ANI.

Both India and Pakistan have played two matches each in the tournament so far. Both have registered victories in those games. While India will enter the contest on the back of wins against the United States of America and Namibia, Pakistan has defeated the Netherlands and the USA.

While the Suryakumar Yadav-led India are placed on top of Group A standings with four points and the Net Run Rate (NRR) of +3.050, Pakistan are placed second with four points, too, and an NRR of +0.932.

Notably, the highly anticipated clash at Colombo's R Premadasa Stadium may be affected by rain. According to Sri Lanka's Department of Meteorology, Colombo, where the India-Pakistan World Cup match is scheduled to take place, is likely to experience showers or thundershowers after 2:00 PM local time.

The India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup match is set to start at 7:00 PM local time, with the toss scheduled at 6:30 PM.

Colombo is expected to reach a high of 34°C and a low of 24°C, with relative humidity ranging from 85% to 50%. A weather advisory from the Department of Meteorology, Sri Lanka, for February 15 also reads "Misty conditions can be expected at some places in Western, Sabaragamuwa and Central provinces and in Galle and Matara districts during the early hours of the morning."

- ANI

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Reader Comments

P
Priyanka N
Hardik is in phenomenal form, no doubt. But I'm a bit worried about our top order's consistency against quality pace early on. We can't afford a slow start against Pakistan.
A
Aman W
Weather is the biggest opponent! Fingers crossed the match happens without a washout. Have taken a half-day at the office just to watch this. 😅
S
Sarah B
The NRR advantage is a good cushion, but in an India-Pakistan match, past stats mean little. It's all about who handles the pressure on the day. Excited!
V
Vikram M
Respectfully, while Mongia is a legend, calling us "favourites" just adds pressure. Let the boys play freely. Pakistan is always a dangerous side, especially in World Cups.
K
Kavya N
The whole country will come to a standstill at 7 PM! Hope SKY leads from the front. Jai Hind! 🏏

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