India’s lead in ODIs at 8-0 and in T20Is at 6-1 in World Cups has grown in the year and a half since that evening in Dubai. Competition? Which rivalry?
For the first time in every World Cup match, Pakistan defeated India after 29 and a half years and 13 attempts. Pakistan had suffered seven straight losses to their most formidable opponents in 50-over World Cup matches between March 3, 1992 and October 24, 2021. Meanwhile, India had a perfect record in the T20 World Cup during that time, winning by a commanding ten wickets in the United Arab Emirates desert.
India has increased their 20-over advantage to 6-1 and their 50-over record to 8-0 at World Cups in the year and a half since that evening in Dubai. Competition? You could wonder, what rivalry.
This combined, lopsided 14-1 scoreline makes no sense. It’s one of the great mysteries of cricket. When Pakistani cricketers have faced off against different Indian generations, they have always lost and finished second. Since there isn’t a logical explanation for this extraordinary mismatch in fortunes, many of them appear to have been overcome by the weight of history even if they don’t appear to have any personal baggage from the past.
It’s easy—even lazy—to run to the adjective “mercurial,” which is frequently used to characterize Pakistan. It’s true that they can be erratic. It’s also true that sometimes they can turn into their worst adversaries. They retaliate fiercely against all comers, especially when they are cornered. excluding India. The Men in Blue appear to have a psychological effect on them for some reason, and each successive loss severely undermines their hopes of trying to tip the scales in World Cups.
During the 50-over World Cup in Ahmedabad last year, Pakistan collapsed spectacularly from 155 for two midway through the 30th over to 191 all out, throwing away a position of strength in a collective fog of brain-fade. Unbelievably, eight out of 36 deliveries in 81 were made. Wickets were thrown with unusual carelessness, with only one of the final seven hitting double figures. India stormed home with 117 deliveries remaining and seven wickets in hand, encouraged by a sizable, pro-partisan audience. If there was ever a real shellacking, this was it.
Almost 90% of the 90,000 spectators at the MCG cheered for Rohit Sharma’s team during their heartbreaking last-ball loss in a T20 World Cup group match in Melbourne, exactly a year and ten days before to this crushing defeat in Ahmedabad. India was in the hunt right up to the very end thanks to a brilliant innings from Virat Kohli. R Ashwin then bunted the final ball from left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz over mid-off for the winning run, leaving Pakistan in complete disbelief.
Above all, these two performances demonstrated India’s resilience, confidence in their skills, and ability to remain composed when faced with difficult decisions. One such example was Ashwin’s move to get inside the line and force Nawaz to miss the leg-side on the final ball that was supposed to tie the score. India was merciless when they went in first. They didn’t give up when it came to fighting in the trenches. Perhaps Pakistan can learn something from it.
The match on Sunday at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium is extremely important to Pakistan, perhaps more so than to India. Supporters on both sides of the border will settle for nothing less than a win, but following Pakistan’s Super Over loss to the US in Dallas on Thursday, what had previously seemed like a meaningless match—even if it might happen, you ask?—from the standpoint of qualifying has taken on a completely new significance. Triumph will give Pakistan’s campaign new life, while a familiar setback will drive them over the brink. Which Pakistan will emerge?
Isn’t that the constant question? Pakistan has never been predictable, regardless of the captain (Babar Azam, who took over for Shaheen Shah Afridi for a short while) or the coach (now Gary Kirsten, the adored former India head coach). They return with a vengeance, like men possessed, once you write them off. When favoritism is bestowed upon them, they inevitably crumble and burn. Just think of how dull cricket would be without Pakistanis.
Despite the fact that results are only flowing in one direction, is the India-Pakistan relationship getting too much attention? Indeed, there is. Since this is no longer a competition in the true sense, is all of this hype unfounded? How does one respond to that? Can fans in any nation put aside their emotions? Can the gamers see it as simply another game? Will it ever stop being the World Cup semifinal before the semifinal? You do understand our perspective, don’t you?
