Pakistan vs. India rivalry is one of the most infamous rivalries in cricket. The scenes before a game between the arch-rivals are unparalleled; there’s excitement, enthrallment, and anxiousness. Both nations want their team to come on top, and the other countries wish for a good game of cricket. Unfortunately, in the major tournaments, Pakistan’s performance led to India winning the game singlehandedly. However, the situation now seems different.
Recently the men in green not only started giving the blue team a commendable fight but have been able to overpower them several times. What this means is that the spectators are not only glued to the tv till the end of the game, but the Pakistani fans can now finally use the firecrackers that the Indian media thinks they have hidden in their storage rooms.
How has the situation changed for the men’s team?
The Pakistan vs India rivalry started to get interesting for the men’s team when Pakistan won the champions trophy in 2017 and defeated the Indian men’s team in the final. While that was a one-sided game, it was delightful for the fans on the Pakistani side of the border. However, the Green Team was still unable to beat India in the 2019 World Cup, and the losing streak continued.
It was not until 2021 when Babar and his men conquered Dubai and finally defeated India in a World Cup game. It was not the ODI World Cup, but it still counted for a lot. Shaheen Shah’s early wicket spell and the Babar-Rizwan batting duo led the team to cross the winning line. The game was definitely unforgettable for the boys in green, but it also led to a new era of Pakistan vs. India rivalry, an era where the Pakistan team is an equal opponent for the Indian team, an opponent that they cannot entirely overpower anymore.
Next up, the two teams met again in the Asia Cup. The first game went to the last over, but it was the men in blue who won the game. But the takeaway from that match was that it was a close game, and Pakistan fought extremely well. Pakistan vs. India’s rivalry was once more available for the world to see when they had to face each other again in the semi-final stage of the Asia Cup. This game was once again a nail-biter and went in the green team’s favour. Shadab’s prayer really did work.
The 2022 T20 world cup match was a thriller, to say the least. The last ball decided the fate of the game. Kohli snatched the game away from his opponents. The word “snatched” shows how Pakistan was the one with the higher win chances. This further reiterates that the Pakistan vs. India rivalry has gotten super interesting for the men’s team.
Pakistan vs India rivalry in the context of women’s team
The women’s team has a better record in beating India in the all-important world cup. They were able to beat India in 2012 and then again in 2016. The achievement of defeating India in a world cup belonged first to the women’s team, as the men’s team was not able to beat them until 2021. This is commendable, especially considering the disparity between the resources given to the men’s and women’s teams. It is even more admirable when one thinks about the discrepancy between the Pakistani women’s team and the Indian women’s team in terms of facilities and resources. While the girls in blue have won more games against girls in green, the Pakistan women’s team’s immense talent and hard work paid off once again in the recent Asia Cup.
The 2022 Asia Cup saw the Pakistan women’s team beat the India women’s team by 13 runs. Even with the lack of proper facilities available, they were able to defeat the arch-rivals for the third time. With the women’s cricket team beating India recently, the Pakistan men’s cricket team winning 2 out of 4 games recently played, and taking the rest of the two to the last ball; it seems like Pakistan vs. India rivalry has gotten even more exciting and will now not result in one-sided games. And even if it does, both teams could be the ones losing the one-sided game instead of Pakistan always being the ones on the losing side like in old times.
What does this mean for the future?
To add to this, the Pakistan A team won the Asia Cup defeating the India A team. Pakistani aficionados are surely glad that now they can vouch for their team to not only play competitive cricket but also cricket where they are capable of winning against the arch-rivals. Now, all eyes are on the World Cup 2023. The encounter between Pakistan vs India in India is surely going to be something.
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