'Huge advantage' - Eoin Morgan breaks down Pakistan’s Sri Lanka boost ahead of India match | Exclusive

Former England captain Eoin Morgan feels that having already played two matches in Sri Lanka will give Pakistan the edge over India in their highly anticipated clash at the T20 World Cup 2026. The arch-rivals are all set to take on each other on Sunday, February 15, at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

Pakistan have played both matches in Sri Lanka, which provides them a huge advantage of having already acclimatised to the conditions. Morgan also believes that Pakistan carry the upper hand heading into the game, but said that given the variety of pitches India play at home, they’re well-versed to deal with the challenge of playing in Colombo.

“It's a huge advantage always to the side that has been playing in those conditions. In essence, that is the biggest challenge of playing international cricket. Playing in conditions that are outside of your own favour. In India's instance, I would say, because India is so vast. And from the four corners of India, you play in various different conditions. I would say if there's anybody, any team in the tournament that is well-versed, well-rounded enough to deal with a challenge like that, it is India,” Morgan said during the latest episode of the Mr Cricket UAE Podcast.

Morgan also shared his thoughts on the ideal decision for captains at the toss, saying that since the second innings is likely to be affected by dew, which makes spinners less effective, captains should bowl first.

“Playing at Premadasa, it's a place that gets hot in the day and gets cooler at night. So, the difference in temperature always lends itself to dew forming and the ball becoming wet, and the ball skidding and sliding onto the bat. So, for me as a captain, if you win the toss, you have to chase. And it can be a bigger advantage than you think because it is more difficult to grip the ball, spinners become less effective, and the Premadasa is normally flat as a pancake. It doesn't normally offer a lot other than consistent bounce. So, if I was both captains, I'd look to bowl first,” he added.

India have played 15 T20Is at the R Premadasa Stadium and won 11 out of those. Notably, all four losses have come after batting first, while India have also managed to register five victories defending targets at the venue. Overall in the history of men’s T20Is at the R Premadasa Stadium, the results are heavily tilted in favour of teams batting second, who’ve won 28 out of 51 matches played. 

Hence, winning the toss and bowling seems like the ideal recipe for success in the upcoming encounter and might well work in India’s favour, who’ve struggled to plan their innings well in the first two matches so far.