'On paper...' - Former Pakistan pacer Umar Gul predicts winner of India-Pakistan T20 World Cup clash | Exclusive
Umar Gul on the Mr Cricket UAE Podcast (Source: Mr Cricket UAE)
Published - 13 Feb 2026, 07:09 PM• Read time - 2 mins
The India-Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 clash is merely a few hours away as fans from both sides want their units to claim the honours and walk away with the bragging rights and a smooth entry into the Super Eight stage of the tournament.
The marquee clash will be played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on February 15, arguably the most iconic ground in Sri Lanka. It's hard to separate both teams with a neutral venue coming into the equation, and former Pakistan speedster Umar Gul also felt the same when he appeared on the latest episode of the Mr Cricket UAE podcast.
In a freewheeling chat with the founder of Mr. Cricket UAE, Anis Sajan, Gul said that while India are "stronger on paper", Pakistan have a strong spin attack which will even up the contest.
"First of all, I'm excited and really happy for the fans that the match [India vs Pakistan] is going to happen. Even we cricketers wanted the game to unfold as planned. I think India are stronger on paper if we were to compare them with all the participants. But with the conditions that persist in Colombo and with the kind of spin attack that Pakistan have, I think there's a 50-50 chance for both sides. But Pakistan are likely to win based on the conditions," Gul said during the latest episode of the Mr Cricket UAE Podcast.
The weather forecast for the game appears slightly dispiriting, as there is a chance of rain in the afternoon, and Gul felt that both teams would like to stack up their playing XIs with pace-bowling options in case there's a rain interruption.
"I think the Pakistan team management will take a call based on the conditions and the weather," Gul added. "The weather forecast is not too good for the game, and the toss will become a decisive factor with a bit of rain around. The captain winning the toss would like to chase with the DLS coming into play. If there's a bit of rain around, then you would like to stack up your XI with pacers, as it becomes arduous for spinners to grip the ball once it gets wet."
Meanwhile, India are at the top of the points table in Group A with four wins and a net run rate of +3.050, whereas Pakistan are second with as many wins and a net run rate of +0.932.
