Ex-Pakistan Player Questions Sourav Ganguly’s Claims On India-Pak Rivalry

The highly anticipated India vs Pakistan match in the ODI World Cup is already creating a lot of buzz in Ahmedabad and across the country. The match is still over three months away, but almost all hotels are booked and flight tickets to Ahmedabad around the date of the marquee clash are starting to cost a bomb. This match, scheduled for October 15 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, promises to be the highlight of the tournament. It holds special significance as it marks the Pakistan cricket team’s return to playing an international match in India after more than a decade.

As is always with an India vs Pakistan match, the stakes are undeniably high. The last four matches between the two teams have been intense and the matches came down to the final over. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly believes that the charm of India-Pakistan matches has diminished since India has been hugely dominant in recent years. Now, this statement did not go down too well with fans from across the border.

Basit Ali, a former Pakistani cricketer, was not too thrilled with Sourav Ganguly’s comments. While Basit acknowledged Ganguly's exceptional contribution to Indian cricket as a player and administrator, he presented compelling facts to challenge Ganguly's viewpoint. He disagreed that India-Pakistan matches have been one-sided in favour of India.

Basit Ali said that since 2017, Pakistan has achieved significant successes against India, including their recent victories in the T20 World Cup and the Asia Cup. Basit was all praise for Virat Kohli’s extraordinary innings leading to India's win in the T20 World Cup. He also claimed that Pakistan had become a formidable unit under Babar Azam's leadership.

Basit Ali further said that he does not agree with Sourav Ganguly, who believes that India's match against Australia, their tournament opener, offers superior quality. Ganguly claimed that the India vs Australia encounter tends to be a better game in the World Cup due to the higher standards of play. However, Basit argued that India vs Pakistan holds a special place as the “mother of all battles.”

“He also said that India vs Australia is a bigger crowd-puller than India vs Pakistan. To that, I would just want to say that ‘Brother, when India plays Australia, are roads in your country empty? No. They are empty whenever there's an India-Pakistan match - both in India and in Pakistan. Everyone is glued to their TV screen and are praying.’ Look at the ticket prices for the World Cup — India-Australia costs are nowhere close to India-Pakistan's. So, I feel that Ganguly - DADA ji - is just trying to play mind games,” added Basit Ali.

India has enjoyed dominance in recent years, but Pakistan has emerged as a formidable opponent. The clash between the neighbours promises to be a captivating spectacle in the ODI World Cup.