Former captain Babar Azam will once again be central to Pakistan’s hopes when they face India in their third Group A clash of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday (February 15).
The highest run-scorer in T20 Internationals, Babar has featured in both of Pakistan’s matches so far in the tournament, registering scores of 15 and 46. While he looked fluent during his 46 against the United States in Colombo, he drew criticism for a slow-paced knock in the opener against the Netherlands.
Despite recent scrutiny over his strike rate, Babar remains a certainty in Pakistan’s playing XI for the high-stakes encounter against India. His form at the top of the order could play a decisive role in the outcome of the marquee clash.
Pakistan have beaten India only once in eight T20 World Cup meetings — and that historic win came in 2021, when Babar scored an unbeaten 68 in Dubai to guide Pakistan to a dominant 10-wicket victory while chasing 152. It remains one of the most memorable knocks of his T20I career.
Overall, Babar has played five T20Is against India, scoring 105 runs at an average bolstered by that lone half-century. However, since the 2021 triumph, he has struggled to make a major impact against their arch-rivals.
In the 2022 Asia Cup, he managed scores of 10 and 14 in two outings against India. Later that year, in the dramatic 2022 T20 World Cup clash in Melbourne, he was dismissed for a golden duck by Arshdeep Singh. His most recent T20I appearance against India came during the 2024 T20 World Cup in New York, where he scored 13 off 10 balls before being dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah in a low-scoring chase of 120.
Babar, who has amassed 4,566 runs in 141 T20Is, was not part of Pakistan’s squad during last year’s Asia Cup, where India and Pakistan met three times.
With another India-Pakistan showdown looming, the spotlight will firmly be on Babar Azam — Pakistan’s most accomplished batter — as fans hope he can once again rise to the occasion.
