{"id":3380,"date":"2016-07-08T17:16:46","date_gmt":"2016-07-08T11:46:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3380"},"modified":"2016-07-08T17:16:46","modified_gmt":"2016-07-08T11:46:46","slug":"india-pakistan-asia-cup-dubai-bangladesh-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=3380","title":{"rendered":"Has the India-Pakistan Cricket Rivalry Lost its Mojo?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A<\/span><\/p>few years back, India playing a <\/span>cricket<\/span><\/a> match against Pakistan was like a festival, akin to a Salman Khan Eid release or the launch of a new season of <\/span>Coke Studio<\/span><\/a>. What added to the buzz was an air of unpredictability \u2013 much like the plot of a K-serial you\u2019d never know what to expect. People came back from the dead in a daily soap, and on the field the most inconsistent players would discover form on D-Day. Pakistan\u2019s bowling could destroy India\u2019s batting order or Sachin could have another one of those blitzkrieg nights in Sharjah. <\/span>\n\nLike India\u2019s foreign policy, an India-Pakistan match was full of ups and downs. But that was back in the \u201990s and to say things have changed would be an understatement. These days when India faces <\/span>Pakistan<\/span><\/a>, nine times out of ten, you don\u2019t even hear of the game until you have Cricinfo bookmarked. What are the chances? \u00a0<\/span>\n\nIndia-Pakistan has become a more one-sided contest than <\/span>North Korea\u2019s<\/span><\/a> political system. Pakistan\u2019s batting order usually collapses like General Lee\u2019s team in the last round of <\/span>Takeshi\u2019s Castle<\/span><\/i>. India dominate with the bat like they\u2019re playing EA Sports Cricket 2007 on PlayStation 2. Pakistan\u2019s once renowned bowling attack looks as hapless as India\u2019s investigating agencies trying to catch Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, or Vijay Mallya. India\u2019s bowling line-up, once quite weak, has transitioned from Rohit Mehra to <\/span>Krrish<\/span><\/a>. With Ravi Shastri thankfully in the dressing room and not on the field, our players barely miss catches. Our counterparts from across the border show the athletic ability of a middle-aged man suffering from a breathing disorder. The lopsided contest is hurting the rivalry, as well as cricket. <\/span>\n\nEven the general excitement around the contest has dampened over the years much like a child having fever on his birthday \u2013 he will still have fun but it\u2019s not the same anymore. Instead of the unpredictable, it is the inevitable that we wait for now. We wait for the inevitable Indian victory, for <\/span>Virat Kohli<\/span><\/a> to dominate with the bat, for Jasprit Bumrah to annihilate the tail, for Pakistan\u2019s batting line-up to collapse, and for Rameez Raja to ask dumb questions in the post-match interviews. India-Pakistan games have become more predictable than the weather forecast in <\/span>Mumbai<\/span><\/a> during the monsoon.<\/span>\n\nThe only time the matches get exciting, is when the expected doesn\u2019t happen, when Pakistan is able to punch above weight, like in the <\/span>Champions Trophy<\/span><\/a> 2017 final where they destroyed India. A game that provided rich material for fans to engage in banter. But we need more of that. Unfortunately, Pakistan have become underdogs, and it\u2019s no fun beating a team that is already down in the dumps. What\u2019s the point of an India-Pakistan game if at the end of the 100 overs you haven\u2019t bitten off all your nails? \u00a0<\/span>\n

Today, as Pakistan struggles to catch up, Bangladesh has upped its ante.<\/blockquote>\nOver the last decade, and especially since the <\/span>IPL<\/span><\/a>, India has become a cricketing powerhouse. If cricket is a board exam, Indian cricketers are Sharma ji ka ladka. Meanwhile, Pakistan has been on the low. While there was once a sense of joy and achievement about beating Pakistan, saying \u201cFinal har jao magar <\/span>Pakistan<\/span><\/a> se jeeto\u201d is not thrilling anymore. <\/span>\n\nThe 2007 T20 World Cup Final was probably the last game that had all the elements of what an Indo-Pak contest should be about \u2013 hype, thrill, pressure, and constant change of momentum. The epic photo finish not only gave us one of the most memorable games between the two teams, but also served as a great advertisement for the rivalry as well as the game of <\/span>cricket<\/span><\/a>. But that was 11 years ago. Since 2010, India and Pakistan have played each other 13 times in ODIs and it has been a one-sided contest with India winning almost twice as many games.<\/span>\n\nToday, as Pakistan struggles to catch up, <\/span>Bangladesh<\/span><\/a> has upped its ante. Bangladeshi fans play rough on social media with photoshopped memes and over the last few years, their players have stretched the Indian team more than they would be comfortable with. If fierce competition coupled with banter defines rivalries, <\/span>Bangladesh<\/span><\/a> are bringing it to India. While fans might still tune in and have a poke at each other, for all practical purposes, the Indo-Pak rivalry on the field is dead and India vs Bangladesh could very well be the new India vs Pakistan. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\n\nBut what\u2019s cricket without its great rivalries? For Indo-Pak cricket to get its charm back, we need more Venkatesh Prasad-Aamir Sohail clashes, Javed Miandad-Chetan Sharma last-ball finishes and Misbah ul Haq-Joginder Sharma battles. Come on, Pakistan. <\/span>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Like India\u2019s foreign policy, an India-Pakistan cricket match was full of ups and downs. But that was back in the \u201990s and to say things have changed would be an understatement. These days when India faces Pakistan, you often don\u2019t even hear of the game until you have Cricinfo bookmarked.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":164,"featured_media":3381,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[394],"tags":[5493,6050,258,1333,5270,19,262,3485,3487,3488],"class_list":["post-3380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-afghanistan","tag-asia-cup","tag-bangladesh","tag-dubai","tag-hong-kong","tag-india","tag-pakistan","tag-rohit-sharma","tag-shikhar-dhawan","tag-sri-lanka"],"yoast_head":"\nHas the India-Pakistan Cricket Rivalry Lost its Mojo?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Like India\u2019s foreign policy, an India-Pakistan cricket match was full of ups and downs. But that was back in the \u201990s and to say things have changed would be an understatement. 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