Watch: Rohit Sharma hugs former KKR coach during IND vs PAK T20 WC match in Colombo

Former India captain Rohit Sharma was a special guest at the Group A match of the T20 World Cup 2026 between arch-rivals India and Pakistan at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday. Rohit is the official brand ambassador of the ICC for the T20 World Cup. He was also present at India’s opening match against the USA at his home ground, Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, earlier this month.

Rohit led India to the T20 World Cup title in 2024. He flew to Colombo for the important Group A match. There was talk about Pakistan possibly boycotting the game. After the toss, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav did not shake hands with Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha. They continued the recent tradition of not shaking hands.

However, Indian fans were surprised to see Rohit Sharma hugging former Pakistan captain and KKR coach Wasim Akram before the match. Rohit and Akram were both on the field as special guests of the ICC. The hug between the Indian and Pakistani cricket stars quickly went viral on social media.

Watch the video here:

India Continues No-Handshake Tradition, Beats Pakistan by 61 Runs

Team India has been following this rule since the Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE. This came after the terrorist attack in Pahalgam and India’s response called ‘Operation Sindoor’. Suryakumar Yadav continued the same tradition in Colombo and did not shake hands after the toss.

Amid the tense atmosphere of the match, Rohit Sharma shared a warm moment with former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram. The two legends smiled and hugged near the trophy. It was a calm and friendly moment before the big game. Rohit also spent time with the Indian players before the match. He greeted and hugged several players. He was present as the brand ambassador for the 2026 T20 World Cup.

Even though the match was intense, Rohit’s friendly moment with Akram gave fans a rare positive scene in this strong rivalry.

India Dominates Pakistan in One-Sided Clash

Once the match started, India performed strongly with both bat and ball. The team led by Suryakumar Yadav dominated Pakistan and won by 61 runs in Colombo on Sunday.

India now leads 8-1 in head-to-head matches. With this big win, India moved into the Super 8 stage. It was also Pakistan’s biggest defeat in T20I matches against India.

Ishan Kishan played a powerful knock of 77 runs off 40 balls. India scored 175 runs. Pakistan could not build momentum in their chase of 176. The Indian bowlers controlled the game from the start.

Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel took two wickets each. Pakistan were all out for 114 runs. India won the match in a one-sided contest.