India, Jan. 31 -- The India-Pakistan Under-19 World Cup game is landing at the worst possible time for "let the kids play cricket" innocence.

Because the noise around the senior teams is already boiling - PCB's boycott signals, Bangladesh's removal drama, talk of forfeiting the February 15 India-Pakistan T20 World Cup match - and that heat doesn't stay neatly locked in the senior cupboard. It leaks into every India-Pakistan contest, including one involving teenagers.

Normally, U19 India-Pakistan carries the usual rivalry electricity: scouts watching, social media roaring, fans treating it like a proxy war of bragging rights. But this year, there is an added layer: the T20 World Cup 2026 is about to begin (February 7) and the marquee Ind...