When Rivalry Becomes One-Sided: India vs Pakistan in Modern Cricket

If there are any rivalries in the sports world, they are the ones that go beyond the field. In football, we have Barcelona versus Real Madrid, Brazil versus Argentina, and Manchester United versus Liverpool. In cricket, we also have great rivalries like Australia versus England, but the biggest of them all is India versus Pakistan on the cricket field.

It is one of the greatest rivalries ever in the sports world, involving the emotions of more than 150 crore people across the two nations, along with millions of viewers from different countries around the world. It is always one of the most awaited matches in every tournament. There is no doubt that ticket prices go very high for this game. The ICC, which is the controlling body of cricket worldwide, recognized this opportunity long ago and has been arranging matches between these two nations in almost every tournament in which both teams participate, making it one of the biggest revenue-generating events in cricket.

Yesterday, we had yet another match between India and Pakistan. People had been waiting for it right from the start of the tournament, and even before that. No doubt, India is a much stronger team compared to Pakistan. India has created a huge infrastructure for cricket, far greater in comparison to Pakistan. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has become the richest cricket board in the world. It puts in a lot of effort, infrastructure, and investment to groom cricketers. At this stage, there is hardly any comparison with Indian cricket.

For me, the hype around this game now feels somewhat exaggerated. Pakistan no doubt plays good cricket, but the team is quite mercurial and can fail in the most unexpected situations. Yesterday’s game was yet another example of this. I feel that this match should not be regarded as highly as it once was, because Pakistan has not been able to compete consistently with India in recent times. On the world stage, especially in the World Cup, India has dominated Pakistan with an 8–1 record so far. For that reason, the rivalry now seems somewhat one-sided, and the excitement has gone down considerably.

Whenever there is such a match, India always seems to have the upper hand because of its high standard of batting and bowling. Again and again, India has shown that no matter what the circumstances are, it is a resilient team that can recover from any situation and remain competitive.

I hope we get to see good cricket in the coming World Cup matches. For me, India is one of the favourites—indeed, the number one favourite—especially with the advantage of home conditions. It is high time that India puts in its best effort to bring home yet another laurel and achieve another great feat.

Thank you for going through my post. Have a great time ahead.