The India–Pakistan cricket rivalry is one of the most intense sports rivalries in the world. Players on both teams frequently experience immense pressure to succeed as fans are very sensitive towards failure, especially when it comes to this rivalry. Both the teams step in the ground to prove their worth with a win, and the world watches with excitement.
India and Pakistan will meet again in the Asia Cup 2022 this Sunday at Dubai International Stadium. The two rivals don’t play with each other quite often, and the frequency of both appearing on a pitch together has decreased exponentially, only limiting to ICC events now, such as T20, Asia Cup, and World Cup cricket matches.
A lot of emotions are attached to this game and cricket fans are eagerly waiting to watch this high-profile clash between two traditional rivals, India and Pakistan, from all over the world. If you are in the US, here’s how you can watch ‘India vs Pakistan: Asia Cup 2022’ in USA.
Shahid Afridi, a right-handed batsman and former captain of Pakistan, recently had an online Q&A session on his official Twitter account:
It was asked on Twitter by Dua from her official account @Duaa_0, posting on the #AskLala hashtag.
Which is the stronger team in Pakistan Vs India match and who do you think will win?#AskLala
— Duaa 🕊️ (@Duaa_0o) August 21, 2022
One of his fans asked Afridi, “Which is the stronger team in the Pakistan Vs India match, and who do you think will win?” In response to the question, Afridi didn’t call a name and he wrote, “Depends on who makes the least mistakes.”
In the history of the Asia Cup, India has faced Pakistan 14 times, winning eight matches while ending up on the losing side five times.
Which team are you supporting, India or Pakistan? Tell us openly!
The former India head coach also shared his experience and has singled out all-rounder Hardik Pandya as the trump card in the Indian team, saying that he brings the right balance to the Indian side.
Ravi Shastri said in a press conference organized by Star Sports, “He (Pandya) is one of the most important cogs in the wheel as far as India is concerned,” further saying, “You take him out of the squad and the balance goes away. That’s how important he is. You don’t know whether to play an extra batsman or an extra bowler.”
Shastri said India felt the absence of Pandiya in the last T20 world cup where they had to exit the tournament in the group stages. It was never expected of the Indian side to be hit so badly, resulting in the humiliation of getting disqualified so early in the tournament.
Shastri concluded his speech by saying, “We missed him really badly last year in the (T20) World Cup when he couldn’t bowl. It makes a massive difference. There is no one close to him when it comes to the quality that he possesses at that number. I think he is an extremely important player and has to be watched very closely. With the number of matches coming up, he is the last person you want to play in all those matches.”
The countdown has begun and the fan war has already started on different channels and social media from both sides. The most experienced cricketers are talking about this particular game, sharing their opinions about the India and Pakistan sides, predicting, supporting and hoping for their favorites to win.
One of the most prominent cricketers, Ricky Ponting, a former Australian caption and a winner of three consecutive World Cups, declared India as favorites.
It was officially tweeted on the @ICC Twitter account where Ricky, has shared his experience of cricket, predicting that India will manage to defeat Pakistan on Asia Cup 2022:
🇮🇳 v 🇵🇰
Ricky Ponting talks about the India-Pakistan rivalry and predicts winner of the Asia Cup on The ICC Review 📺
More 👉 https://t.co/0fqEuy89in pic.twitter.com/Ol4p29Gg8v
— ICC (@ICC) August 13, 2022
The last match between Men in Blue and Green was at the same venue during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021. India lost the game by 10 wickets under the captaincy of Virat Kholi. The dominating performance of the Pakistani caption, Babar Azam, and other stars, Muhammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi, took the match away from the mighty Indians, winning against the old rival India for the first time in a World Cup match and making history along the way.
Despite the national friction between the neighbors, players from each side maintain respect and regard for each other. According to the players from both sides, winning and losing is a part of the game and should be taken lightly by the fans because, in the end, it’s just a game of cricket, not a war.
