18,000 Indians, 12,000 Pakistanis and 2,000 Sri Lankan Police: The scale of the India-Pakistan showdown | Cricket News – The Times of India
TimesofIndia.com in Colombo: Saif, a fourth-division cricketer from Bengaluru, booked his flight, hotel and match tickets two months in advance. He even landed in the Sri Lankan capital three days before the match.“Pakistan is no match for India. Inshallah, we will beat them,” a jubilant Saif tells TimesofIndia.com on Sunday.Saif is among the 18,000 Indian fans who have travelled from India to watch the highly anticipated India-Pakistan match.Also See: IND vs PAK Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026Then there is Mohammad Infaz, a tuk tuk driver in Colombo who speaks fluent Hindi and echoes sentiments similar to Saif’s.“India are too strong. I think it will be a one-sided affair. Itna khatarnaak Indian team kabhi nahi dekha (This is the strongest Indian team I have seen). In T20s, on a given day anything can happen, but I have a feeling India will win,” he says while driving this reporter to the R Premadasa Stadium.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Usama, who has travelled from Lahore and is among the 12,000 Pakistani fans, carries a glimmer of hope.“We have never done well against India in World Cups. But this time, I feel we have an upper edge because we know the conditions better,” says Usama.The toss will take place at 6:30 PM local time and IST, but fans from both countries began lining up as early as 1 PM. All stadium gates will open to the public at 3:00 PM. A Sri Lanka Cricket official confirmed to TimesofIndia.com that all tickets have been sold out.Approximately 2,000 police officers and nearly 600 military personnel have been deployed to maintain security and regulate traffic for the match.
Sri Lanka Mirror, a local daily, has reported that India’s RAW intelligence agency, Indian security personnel, as well as private security officers assigned to the players, have arrived in Colombo to provide security for Indian players and spectators. It is also learnt that Pakistan’s security and intelligence agencies have reached Colombo to coordinate and assist with the security arrangements.Prasanna, who runs an Airbnb on Havelock Road, complains about not getting a match ticket for his die-hard Hardik Pandya fan.“No tickets for the locals,” he laughs. “We are only here to provide hospitality to our Indian and Pakistani friends.”Ryan de Silva, an ardent Mumbai Indians fan who also drives a tuk tuk, says he too wanted to see Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah in action.“I have been trying to get a ticket to see my Mumbai boys in action for a month, but I didn’t get lucky,” says de Silva, a Lasith Malinga fan.
After so much build-up, the stage is set for the battle between two bitter rivals, and both captains admitted in their pre-match press conferences that this is far more than just a game.“If you play any game, there is always pressure. When you play India-Pakistan, it is more about the occasion. No matter how much you say it is just another game, at the back of your mind you know which game you are playing,” Suryakumar Yadav said.Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha echoed similar views. “This game between India and Pakistan has always been a high-magnitude match and will continue to remain so in the future.”Former England captain Michael Atherton, in his column for The Times, described the India-Pakistan contest as a “toxic and politicised spectacle.”Atherton argued that the fixture has become too big to fail, underpinning the fragile global cricket economy, even as it serves as a proxy for political point-scoring.Yet, his view comes with privilege. Ask the vendors outside the R Premadasa Stadium selling flags, the cafe owners, or the tuk tuk drivers who have waited for this match since the schedule was announced.“Today I will earn more than ten times what I make in a month,” says a 55-year-old vendor selling jerseys outside the stadium.The India-Pakistan game will always matter. Arrive seven hours before the first ball and you understand why. This fixture is not for the faint-hearted. Fasten your seatbelt and enjoy the ride.