Colombo Diary: Valentine's Day With Hardik Pandya, Colombo Has A Crush

My phone clock blinked just as the Indian team rolled into their hotel. The welcome had already begun - Kandyan dancers performing Uda Rata Natum, drums thumping through humid night air, more than a hundred fans lining up with phone cameras raised like tiny floodlights. Hardik Pandya stepped out with his family - the only Indian player to arrive with loved ones in tow - and suddenly Valentine's Day felt very on brand. Cricket, Colombo-style: loud, warm, emotional.

The team checked in at ITC Ratnadipa, smiles exchanged, security doing gentle crowd control. Across a quiet stretch of water sat Pakistan's base, Cinnamon Life Colombo - Colombo's shiny new giant with casino floors, glassy towers, and enough LED glow to double as a lighthouse. Four T20 World Cup teams are staying there. It feels less like a hotel and more like a cricket commune with room service.

I walked back thinking how surreal it is: two rival teams, two hotels, separated by a lagoon and decades of history.

Friday Evening, Premadasa:

R. Premadasa Stadium woke up slowly. Tuk-tuks ferried fans past cut-outs and fluttering flags. The stadium was already dressed for the big game. Inside, the pitch lay wrapped like a carefully guarded secret.

Pakistan finally had a full outdoor session today - their first proper feel of Premadasa after their second win. The weather here is sticky, the air heavy, and acclimatisation is real currency.

Then came the most Colombo headline ever: a non-venomous rat snake, locally called a Garandiya, was spotted near practice. Players paused. Phones came out. Groundsmen shrugged. Only in Sri Lanka does wildlife casually wander into international cricket.

The square stayed covered for ages while Pakistan's players sweated it out in the middle. Contrast that with India's arrival - mobbed by fans - while here at Pakistan practice, barely 20 journalists watched quietly from the sidelines.

Rain clouds linger too. There's talk of a low-pressure system over the southeast Bay of Bengal. No reserve day. If it pours, points get split. Still, Premadasa's drainage is excellent - matches can usually start 45 to 60 minutes after rain stops. If we do get cricket, expect a low-and-slow surface and probably a low-scoring thriller.

Colombo, between interviews and traffic jams.

Sri Lankan sports journalist Ram Krish - Tamil, endlessly generous, and openly fond of Indians - became our Colombo compass. He drove us across the city, helped set up interviews, and even arranged a meeting with Namal Rajapaksa, who told us he hopes Sri Lanka continues to be the neutral venue for India-Pakistan clashes.

It struck me then: cricket here isn't just sport. It's diplomacy. It's tourism. It's hotel occupancy. It's tuk-tuk drivers doing brisk business outside stadium gates.

And now, Valentine's Day.

Hardik Pandya gets to celebrate it with family in Colombo. Two neighbours share a city, stare at the same rain clouds, and prepare to shake hands at the toss. Pakistan, battle-ready after ten days in town. India, buoyed by fans and rhythm-filled welcomes.

What the future holds, nobody knows. Rain may interfere. The pitch may misbehave. A snake might make another cameo.

But for this moment, Colombo feels like it's hosting the world's most intense double date - where love is measured in cover drives, respect in handshakes, and anticipation in every beat of a Kandyan drum.

From my diary to yours: Happy Valentine's Day from Colombo.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Pakistan Cricket Team Hardik Pandya T20 World Cup 2026 Cricket