India vs Pakistan: Fans show fatigue as rivalry loses spark

The India-Pakistan T20 World Cup clash in Colombo generated noise across social media, but inside the stands the energy told a different story — shaped by politics, fading star power and India’s run of routine wins

On February 15, 2026, checking details of the stand on his match ticket, an excited fellow journalist said, “Our view is best for a square cut, jahaan Sehwag ne Shoaib Akhtar ko chakka maara tha (where Sehwag had slammed a six off Shoaib Akhtar).” The journalist was referring to the 2003 World Cup clash between the arch-rivals on a Maha Shivaratri day.

Around 13 years after India’s famous win over Pakistan at Centurion, the hype around the T20 World Cup clash was far from expected. As a dejected Harsha Bhogle said in a video, the buzz for an India-Pakistan game felt manufactured rather than organic.

Sitting inside the bus on its way to the iconic R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, I read a social media post stating the match was set to be the first India-Pakistan World Cup clash without either Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, or Virat Kohli. Not a mind-boggling stat, yet it made me wonder about the missing quintessential “star power” element in the current Indian team.

Indian fans missed the presence of stalwarts such as Rohit Sharma and Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the match against Pakistan in the ICC T20 World Cup at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on February 15 (Sunday). | Photo Credit: ANI

I was flown to Colombo to be part of Budweiser’s ‘Budex Hotel Programme’, where fans, tastemakers, journalists, and influencers were brought together under one roof, in an attempt to experience the frenzy around the so-called marquee encounter.

In the buildup to the Group A match, I interacted with fans from both teams, and the takeaway was the diminishing nature of the once-celebrated cricket rivalry. Sitting next to me enroute to the hotel from the airport, an Indian gentleman on his phone call said, “I have no interest in this, ya. The game is just an excuse for me to catch up with you all.” It was a sign of things to come for me.