Though the playing XIs at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India vs Pakistan match on February 15 at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo did not feature names like Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shoaib Akhtar, for someone who has grown up on a healthy dose of sports, especially cricket, my first live experience of an India-Pakistan game, the Holy Grail of sporting rivalry, was one for keeps. Ever since an invitation from Budweiser India, as part of their The BUDx Hotel activation, to witness what has always been a megawatt encounter, firing the imagination of billions, landed in my inbox on January 29, the adrenaline rush had been surreal. Too good to be true. Then came the few topsy-turvy days with Pakistan refusing to play India. I always knew the match would happen, though. It was too big a carnival to be abandoned. With the final confirmation coming in earlier last week, I brought out my already-packed pink suitcase and got ready to tick off yet another item on my bucket list.
Post a quick flight to Mumbai, I hopped onto a charter flight, which took me to Colombo. City of Dreams: Cinnamon Life Integrated Resorts, in Colombo, located at 02 Glennie Street, a design-intensive destination that offers sweeping views of the Indian Ocean and the city, was my home for 48 hours. Budweiser India had tied up with Cinnamon Life to treat a select set of media and guests from India on this lucky trip.
Players of India celebrate victory following the ICC Men's T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026 match between India and Pakistan at R. Premadasa Stadium on February 15, 2026 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
The hotel was buzzing. Indian and Pakistani fans from all across the globe had descended upon Colombo to celebrate and support their countries. The entire Pakistani contingent was put up at Cinnamon Life, adding to the merriment of the Pakistani fans. Imagine enjoying egg hoppers with Salman Ali Agha!
Mohsin Syed, 45, a businessman who is into banking technology services and his brother-in-law, Osama Obaid, 42, a textile business owner, had met all their favourite cricketers at breakfast on matchday. Mini bats scribbled with autographs were their gifts for their sons back home. Mohsin and Osama got their tickets a month-and-a-half ago. “We’re fans of cricket, and we’d like to have the game regardless of what it is and politics aside. We hate to see that in the game. So hopefully this is the last time something like this happens when the game’s on and then it’s off, and then it’s back on. We travel all over the world for these games, mostly cricket. We’ve been to New York. We went to Dubai last year for the Champions Trophy, only to see Pakistan and India play. And then, before that, in England. So, we’ve travelled quite a bit for these events,” said Mohsin, who hails from Lahore but lives in Dallas now. They have feasted their eyes on five or six live India-Pakistan encounters. Had the sentiments changed over the years, I asked. “The rivalry is exactly the way it was. In fact, with social media now, you actually get to know a lot more. The hype is even greater than it was. Our friends on the other side of the border don’t miss an opportunity to hype it up either,” laughed Mohsin. Osama picked a Lahore game from 1997, where Ijaz Ahmed scored a century, as one of his most memorable India-Pakistan matches.
Both Mohsin and Osama swore by Sachin Tendulkar. “We as Pakistanis love Sachin. It’s a love relationship. Pure class. We really miss Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli,” they smiled. After Sachin, was Virat the most popular Indian cricketer in Pakistan? “Hundred per cent. I mean, there are a lot of other big names, but Virat would be right up there,” said Mohsin.
Seated behind Mohsin were brothers Arshad Mohammed Hanif, 37, and Waleed Mohammed Hanif, 35. Like Mohsin and Osama, the Dubai residents with roots in Multan had gotten jerseys autographed by the players. Dressed in national colours of green and white, they were in a special morning look, all for the spirit of the match. “Whenever there is an India-Pakistan match, we are always there. Asia Cup, ICC Champions Trophy. We prepare for three to four months in advance. It’s a mega event. How can we miss a blockbuster? It is like a festival for us,” said Arshad, a working professional.
Waleed, a software engineer, had missed his wife’s birthday on February 14 to be there for the game. “She understands and knows how passionate we are for cricket. So, she herself said, ‘Go for it.’ Like for you, it’s Diwali; for us, it’s Eid. So, we wanted to support our nation. If you go to the stadiums, you will see 90 per cent are Indian fans. We are lacking in that one. We want to show that we can support our team as well,” said Waleed. “It’s quite expensive if you are coming from Dubai. Hotel booking, match tickets, it’s almost 8,000 dirham per person. But we still wanted to inspire our next generation. I wanted to inspire my son so that he loves cricket,” added Arshad. He wanted to be a cricketer and wants to live that dream through his son (nine) or daughter (five). “I told him that I’m going to Sri Lanka to watch India versus Pakistan. He didn’t react much. But if I tell him I’m going to Portugal to meet Cristiano Ronaldo, he’ll be like, ‘Oh, wow!’ I wanted to have a son who would play for Pakistan, but my son doesn’t like cricket at all. I want to inspire him. Today, I have videos with the players, like Usman Tariq, Faheem Ashraf and Naseem Shah, and I told them that can you request my son to play cricket. For me, it is a dream. If my son or daughter wants to be a cricketer, I will do everything for them. I’ll be the first person to cheer for them,” said an impassioned Arshad. The kind of romance that is difficult to comprehend if your heart doesn’t beat for the game.
India jerseys were everywhere, too. Friends Sundeep Adi Vishnu, 42, and Vishnu Chapala Madugu, 42, were there as part of a boys’ reunion trip. “We’re all school friends, and we do meet for matches like this. See, for me, it’s just a flight from Hyderabad to Sri Lanka, but I had friends coming all the way from San Francisco. We are nine of us, from different parts of the world. Two from San Francisco, two from Texas, one from Dubai, and the rest of us from Hyderabad. We booked our tickets in January. Then we decided that if the match didn’t happen, we’ll make a holiday out of it,” said Sundeep, a businessman. The boys’ gang had been to the India-New Zealand ICC Champions Trophy 2025 finals in Dubai. An India-Pakistan match was special, though. “Because it is Pakistan! It (the same intensity) might not be there on the pitch, but there’s a nice banter in the stands. The language is common, so you get to have that nice banter with the fans. Sometimes it gets a little overboard. The Asia Cup match last year was a very close game, especially because of the fans. Some of them were really teasing us after the first half, and very late into the second half, also. But then it was amazing to be there when the match got turned around, so we could give it back. We were actually, you know, teasing a couple of Pakistani fans, saying we just hope Babar (Azam) plays all 20 overs so that the score won’t be more than 140!” he laughed. Azam scored five, and India won by 61 runs.
Sundeep’s friend Vishnu, a businessman who resides in the Bay Area, California, was there for his first live India-Pakistan match. “I’m thrilled. I have always wanted to go to the India-Pakistan games. It’s been my lifelong dream. I love cricket. I play cricket. I watch it. I am an all-rounder. Thanks to ICC and Pakistan Cricket Board, and BCCI for making this game happen,” he smiled.
Like Vishnu, it was a debut for former Australian cricketer Aaron Finch at a live India-Pakistan game. What made this such a timeless rivalry? “Oh, just the interest in it globally. It’s not just between Indian and Pakistani fans. It’s everyone who’s a cricket lover who’s intrigued by this contest. It’s the one match that I’ve always said I would go and watch as a fan, if I’m not broadcasting on it,” said Finch, on the sidelines of a fun Buds & Burgers activation. He picked Virender Sehwag and Saeed Anwar as his favourites from both sides. “Probably one of my all-time favourite players to watch is Virender Sehwag. He was incredible. Maybe he was slightly ahead of his time, but the way that he attacked the game was brilliant. And from Pakistan, I’ve always loved watching Saeed Anwar. Opened the batting, left-hander, beautiful player to watch. That was my childhood growing up, watching Pakistan being really successful, and him dominating at the top of the order,” smiled Finch, who loved his tuk-tuk rides and trips to the little beach seafood restaurants, while in Colombo.
For the legendary South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes, the passion, both on and off the field, was “incredible to see”. “I think obviously the rivalry has been here from the get-go. People are very proud of their countries, and it comes out in this competition every single time. So, as a neutral observer, it’s always amazing to see how passionate people are about their country,” he smiled.
Dale Steyn, the former South African speedster, also picked the fans as one of the most important factors that made the rivalry what it was. “I think what it boils down to is the fans. Obviously, the cricket is spectacular. Both teams have incredibly good performers and players that do amazing things, but I think it boils down to the fans. They come, they bring the vibe, they bring the energy, they fill out the stadiums. And that’s what I go there for, you know, because cricket is good. It doesn’t matter whether it’s two associate teams playing or whatever it is, but a sold-out stadium, screaming, shouting, going wild for every boundary, for every wicket, for every save, that’s what it’s about. And I think that’s what people come for. They want to be part of that, of the celebrations,” he smiled.
Vineet Sharma, vice-president — marketing and trade marketing, AB InBev India, had a big smile on his face. The match was at last happening. “We had some other plans as well, but I’m happy with the way it turned out. And of course, no learning goes waste. If not for this activation, some other activation. I really enjoy what I’m seeing here. And of course, there’s a cracker of a game today,” smiled Vineet.
Conversations about this IP had been on for a couple of years, said Vineet. “A partnership like this takes years to build. In December 2025, we decided to cement it. This is a partnership for the next two years. This is about a global association between two global powerhouses. ICC and AB InBev. We always wanted to do something in cricket, but it was never cemented. Cricket is a big celebration moment, not just in India, but globally as well. As a company, we do jersey sponsorship for the South African cricket team, but that’s a local deal. This is the first time that AB InBev has entered into a global partnership in cricket,” said Vineet, a Chandigarh boy, living in Bengaluru, who loves watching Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli.
Beers and burgers later, we were all packed into a bus to get to R Premadasa Stadium for the match, a 20-minute bus ride from Cinnamon Life. The buzz was what you would witness outside any stadium. Fans chanting slogans and getting battle-ready. That quick flourish of paint of the Indian Tricolour on the cheek. The sight of India and Pakistan jerseys fluttering side by side was a sight for sore eyes, though. There was an easy friendship between the fans from both countries in the stands.
Having watched many a match at Eden Gardens in Calcutta, I was missing not only its colossus presence, but also that raw energy that runs through the stands no matter who’s playing. It’s that electric connection you feel when you step into its bowels. An emotion that is indescribable.
Though Premadasa or the match per se didn’t leave a lasting impression on me, the fans did. Ishan Kishan may have been chosen by the pundits as the player of the match, but it’s those jabra fans who had my heart. The Pakistani fans trudging back. And, the Indian fans, chanting “Jai Hind”.
Until next time!
Saionee Chakraborty
Pictures: By the writer and courtesy Budweiser India and Getty Images