T20 World Cup 2026 | WATCH - Gambhir reacts to Pakistan boycotting India match on Feb 15

India head coach Gautam Gambhir, on Tuesday (Feb 3), refused to give a reaction on Pakistan's boycott of India match on in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026. India, entering the tournament as the defending champions, are in Group A along with Pakistan, USA, Netherland, and Namibia. Pakistan are expected to play India on Feb 15 in Colombo in a Group A fixture and failure to do so will see India getting full match points, given skipper Suryakumar Yadav is present at the toss. The boycott can potentially hurt Pakistan's chances to move to the next stage while making it easier for India to advance.

Gambhir gives first reaction on Pakistan boycotting India match in T20 World Cup 2026

India coach Gambhir was spotted at Delhi airport on Tuesday (Feb 3) when the reporters asked him about his thoughts on Pakistan's boycott of India match in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026. The head coach, while thanking the reporters for their well-wished, refused to answer the Pakistan question. Have a look at the video below:

While Pakistan has given no official reason for boycotting India match, it is possible that the step has been taken in solidarity with Bangladesh, which have been replaced in the tournament by Scotland. ICC replaced Bangladesh after the Asian country's refusal to travel to India for the World Cup matches, citing security threat.

Also Read: T20 World Cup 2026 | 'Toss becomes crucial': Dhoni on what worries him about India's title defence

Pakistan had supported Bangladesh's demand of shifting the matches outside India but ICC did not budge. After Bangladesh's replacement, Pakistan left their participation in limbo, confirming only on Sunday (Feb 1) that they will play the tournament but not India.

India squad for the 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 Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh.

Pakistan squad for ICC T20 World Cup 2026: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan, Usman Tariq.