HomeAnalysisIndia vs Pakistan ‘marquee’ contest actually not good for...

India vs Pakistan ‘marquee’ contest actually not good for cricket now

- Advertisement -

India vs Pakistan! It is the contest that is considered a blockbuster in cricket.

It is the contest where passions, emotions, patriotism and jingoism overflow at every level. A loss is considered blasphemous while a win is celebrated grandly for days, months and years.

- Advertisement -

The amount of passion and patriotism in an India vs Pakistan contest is not surprising, considering the turbulent history that we have shared.

In cricketing parlance, there are actually two very distinct rivalries.

One is the Ashes contest between England and Australia, full of history. The other is India vs Pakistan, a contest that draws the maximum eyeballs to television and websites.

Currently, India vs Pakistan bilateral series contests have been on hold ever since the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008. Barring 2012, these teams have clashed in multi-lateral tournaments like ICC events or Asia Cup every year.

Initially, contests between India and Pakistan were thrilling and fun to watch.

However, in the last decade, barring one or two isolated matches, India vs Pakistan contests (drumroll for blasphemy) have been lacking the tense edge. The roles have also been reversed. The contests are not so exciting to watch.

India’s batsmen vs Pakistan’s bowlers contest?

Traditionally, the contests between India and Pakistan has been a case of India’s batting might vs Pakistan’s bowling strength.

India had stars like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir while Pakistan had the superb bowling arsenal in Mohammad Asif, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Umar Gul, Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan.

This is taking into consideration India vs Pakistan contests since the start of the 21st century. Thus, names like Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram have been omitted as they played few matches against India in the start of the 21st century.

India vs Pakistan 2
(Credits: Twitter)

However, on closer look, it is revealed that this was NEVER the case. At the start of the first decade, there were many Pakistan batsmen who stepped up and thwarted India’s bowling.

Batsmen like Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Yousuf, Younis Khan, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Salman Butt formed a powerful batting line-up. In that same period, it was Akhtar, Razzaq, Naved-ul-Hasan and Afridi who dominated the bowling charts as well.

Why did India struggle? It was because among the top five-wicket-takers in India vs Pakistan contests at the start of the decade, there is only one Indian bowler and that was Irfan Pathan.

The likes of Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra had an economy rate of more than 5.5 while only Ajit Agarkar and Anil Kumble had an economy rate of less than 5. In contrast, Akhtar had an economy rate of less than 4 while all the other Pakistan bowlers had a rate of just over 5.

It was this prime reason that Pakistan had a superior head-to-head record in the first decade.

Tables totally turned

In the second decade of the century, the tables have totally turned. It is now India who is clinically dominating Pakistan.

In 14 matches that they have played, Pakistan has won just four games with one significant victory coming in the 2017 final of the ICC Champions Trophy.

However, the rest of the decade has seen the emergence of India’s bowling and batting which is top notch now.

In this decade alone, the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan and MS Dhoni are averaging over 50 in ODIs against Pakistan.

Only two Pakistan batsmen average close to and over 50 and they are Mohammad Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed. Just to note, this is for players from both sides who have played more than five ODIs. 

Virat Kohli Pakistan
(Credits: Twitter)

It is with the ball, considered Pakistan’s forte for so long, that India have made big strides. Barring Saeed Ajmal and Junaid Khan, the top wicket-takers are dominated by Indian players.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami all have superb economy rates. Kuldeep Yadav also impressed against Pakistan in 2018 and in the 2019 World Cup. Thus, Pakistan’s absence of top batsmen and top bowlers, primarily through PCB’s rotational policy of getting and chopping players has contributed to the lop-sidedness of the contest.

In effect, India’s dominance is the turning of the wheel against Pakistan. In future contests, India will dominate Pakistan due to the sheer depth in their batting and bowling.

However, the last few contests have been dominant. Out of 14 contests, there have been only three close contests in Dambulla, Delhi and Dhaka.

With this current situation, broadcasters will have to develop something creative to generate hype in this contest. Majority of fans will easily lap up this contest. But, holistically, the India vs Pakistan contest lacks the edge nowadays.

Follow us on facebook for more sports news & updates

- Advertisement -

15 Highly Educated Cricketers Of All Time

Cricket is a game of passion and dedication. A sport in which one involves themselves in camps and practice since early childhood. Due to...

Do we often under-appreciate Andy Flower? What’s his legacy?

There's a hint of sadness in noting that Zimbabwe has never been a dominant power in world cricket. But nothing could be sadder than...

Why are more and more MotoGP riders using the Noson nasal dilator?

Introduction MotoGP riders or athletes are physically fit and healthy individuals and their muscles are continuously functioning and used during the performance. As a fan...

How Come UFC Fighters Have Cauliflower Ears But Boxers Don’t?

The UFC has come a long way since its early days, wherein the fights seemed like modern-day gladiators due to its brutality and inconsistent...

5 spinners who can be India’s potential finger-spinners

The Indian cricket team has always been proud of its ability to produce world-class batsmen and similarly potent spinners. Though in recent times, the...

IPL 2018: The beautiful Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

Being seated in the Sawai Mansingh stadium brings a different world, a world of difference away from the palpable excitement of watching truly India’s...

The astonishing decline of Mario Balotelli

There was a time when Mario Balotelli was on top of the world.  The Italian talisman had scored two goals in the Euro 2012 semi-finals,...

Top 5 Left Wingers In The World, Based On 2019-20 Season

Owing to the fact that football has evolved a lot since its inception and the tactics have changed a lot, the role of wingers...

What can be expected from the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix?

Heat in the air and heat inside the car- that's been the story of the Azerbaijan Grand prix. As F1 parks itself at Baku...

How Suresh Raina Batted India Into The Finals of 2011 World Cup

Its been 9 years, since India won the Cricket World Cup defeating Sri Lanka on 2 April, 2011. The images and visuals of...

IPL 2018: The best from the West Indies

When one of nature's treacherous attacks on mankind- earthquakes- strike, their impact is measured on Richter's scale. When West Indians strike in a tournament...

Big change for India Women’s cricket as BCCI looks to finalise bowling coach soon

We are not even at the halfway stage of the 2018 cricketing season. It clearly seems there's no stopping India's women's cricket team. The...

Age Fraud in Indian Cricket: Are players really to be blamed?

There have been times while watching a cricket match when we tend to hear commentators comment on cricketers’ age. We as fans have many...

Ajax XI if they didn’t sell their star players

Based in Amsterdam, AFC Ajax, who incidentally draw their name from the legendary Greek hero of the same name, are the most successful club...

5 famous players to play for both Leeds United and Liverpool

Leeds United are back in the Premier League after 16 years and will play Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday in their very first match...

- Advertisement -

- Advertisement -