The mind’s surrender before the body’s: Can Pakistan withstand the Colombo crucible?

India and Pakistan are set to renew cricket’s most emotionally charged rivalry at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday in a T20 World Cup clash. While the fixture is often described as the “mother of all rivalries,” the last decade has painted a far more lopsided picture. 

Since February 14, 2016, the two sides have met 19 times across formats. India have won 15 of those contests, Pakistan just three, with one no result. It seems more like a psychological pattern than just a stat.

Publicly, Pakistan’s captains insist that these matches carry no extra weight. At every toss, the lines are familiar: “Just another game,” “We focus on our plans,” “History doesn’t matter.” 

But the results suggest otherwise. Too often, Pakistan appear to lose the internal battle long before the tactical one begins. Shoulders tighten, decision‑making narrows, and the fear of losing to India seems to precede the actual contest. The mind falters, and the game follows.

The years when India carried the burden

It wasn’t always this way. For a long stretch, it was India who lived inside this psychological maze. The turning point is etched into cricketing folklore: April 18, 1986, Sharjah, the Austral‑Asia Cup final. India were on the brink of victory until Javed Miandad launched Chetan Sharma’s final delivery over the boundary. It was more than a defeat; it was a wound. That one moment created a mental spiral that lasted a generation.

From April 18, 1986, to April 18, 2000, India and Pakistan played 80 matches. Pakistan won 47, India just 22, with eight draws and three no results. India didn’t merely lose games; they often played as if they expected to lose. The Miandad six became a ghost that hovered over every tight finish and every moment of pressure. India were trapped in the same psychological loop Pakistan find themselves in today.

A shift in belief, a shift in results

The early 2000s brought a transformation. Under Sourav Ganguly’s aggressive leadership, India toured Pakistan in 2004 and won both their first ODI and Test series there. It was a mental reset. India returned in 2006 and won another ODI series, with Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni embodying a new, fearless identity.

Since then, India’s grip over the rivalry has only tightened, especially in high‑stakes tournaments.

At the 2022 T20 World Cup at the MCG, Pakistan had India cornered. With 48 needed off three overs, even with Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya at the crease, the game looked gone. Yet under pressure, it was Pakistan who blinked. Kohli produced an innings for the ages, and India stole a match that should have been beyond reach.

In the 2023 ODI World Cup in Ahmedabad, Pakistan were cruising at 155/2 in the 30th over. They collapsed to 191 all out, and India chased the target in just 30.3 overs. Another game shaped by pressure rather than skill.

The 2024 T20 World Cup followed the same script. After bowling India out for 119, Pakistan were cruising in the chase before a familiar cluster of wickets turned the tide. They lost by six runs, a defeat that felt psychological more than tactical.

Even in the 2025 Asia Cup final, the pattern persisted. At 113/2 in 12.5 overs, Pakistan were on course for a 180-190 total. Instead, they collapsed to 146. With the ball, they roared back, reducing India to 20/3. And yet, just when the game seemed theirs, they ceded control again. India recovered and won with two balls to spare.

Colombo’s test of nerve

And so, Sunday brings another chapter, not just in a rivalry, but in a psychological saga. The question for Pakistan is not whether they have the talent. It is whether they can step onto the field without the weight of a decade pressing on their shoulders. Whether they can play India as just another opponent, not a recurring nightmare.