Kohli coach urges Pakistan to rethink India match boycott!

Virat Kohli’s childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma calls Pakistan's decision to boycott the India clash at the ICC T20 World Cup unfortunate and politically driven.

Pakistan will not play India in their T20 World Cup match

IMAGE: Pakistan will not play India in their T20 World Cup match scheduled on February 15. Photograph: ANI Photo

Virat Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma said Pakistan government's decision to not allow the Pakistan cricket team to participate in their ICC T20 World Cup 2026 group-stage match against India is very unfortunate and that they should give it a rethink as it will be a loss for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Pakistan's public and cricket players alike.

Rajkumar Sharma's comments come after Pakistan decided to boycott its group-stage match against India in the ICC World T20 World Cup, scheduled for February 15. The Pakistan government said in a post on X that the Pakistan team "shall not take the field" in the match against India.

Key Points

Virat Kohli’s childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma terms the move unfortunate and strange.
Warns that ICC action could further hurt Pakistan cricket.
Pakistan government gives no official reason for the boycott.

Speaking to ANI, Rajkumar Sharma said: "It is very unfortunate, and it is a strange decision by Pakistan. They hadn't reacted until now; earlier, they had voted in favour of Bangladesh not travelling to India for the T20 World Cup 2026, and now they have decided to back out of playing against India.

"This is very unfortunate, and Pakistan will have to bear heavy losses because of this. It's also a loss for Pakistan's public, who want to see their players playing against India. It's also a loss for their players. I think the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will rethink this decision," Rajkumar Sharma said.

'Pakistan will think again about their decision'

"When it comes to cricket, India is way ahead of Pakistan in terms of competition. However, this is a political decision, and they should consider ICC's action in response to this decision as the PCB will face a heavy loss. I believe they will think again about their decision," he added.

The Pakistan government did not give any reason for its decision not to play against India.

The Indian team is in terrific form ahead of the World Cup and won the five-match T20I series against New Zealand 4-1.

Pakistan have a terrible record against India in the ICC T20 World Cups. The two teams have played eight times, with the record standing at 7-1 in India's favour. The ICC T20 World Cup will begin on February 7.