'You're withdrawing from the World Cup, but why...?', Sourav Ganguly's anger erupted; he severely criticized Pakistan.

Former Indian captain and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly expressed surprise at Pakistan's decision to boycott their match against India in the T20 World Cup.

Speaking to reporters on February 8, Sourav Ganguly reacted to Pakistan's decision to boycott their match against India in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. He questioned why they were withdrawing from the World Cup. He said, "What are they withdrawing for? They are playing in Sri Lanka anyway. I am surprised by Pakistan's withdrawal. Every point is crucial in the World Cup."

Sourav Ganguly's strong criticism of the PCB

Earlier, Pakistan had announced that it would boycott its match against India in support of Bangladesh's decision not to travel to India for the tournament.

Before the tournament began, Indian T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav had made it clear that the Indian team was fully prepared for the World Cup match against Pakistan, scheduled to be held in Colombo on February 15.

Earlier, on February 5, during a media interaction at the Captains' Day in Colombo, Suryakumar said, "Our thinking is clear. We will play. Our flight is booked, and we are going. The rest, they can decide for themselves. Their decision is not in my control. We played the Asia Cup (2025), and we played against them (Pakistan) at a neutral venue. We are ready and going to Colombo. We have been told that our match is on February 15."

Both India and Pakistan won their opening matches

The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 began on February 7, with the final match scheduled for March 8. India defeated the USA in their first match, while Pakistan started their campaign with a win against the Netherlands.

The defending champions, Team India, are placed in Group A along with Namibia, the Netherlands, the USA, and Pakistan. Indian team for ICC T20 World Cup 2026

Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh.

Pakistan team for ICC T20 World Cup 2026

Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafe (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan, Usman Tariq.