Have India vs Pak matches lost their charm?

[Cricket_Hacker]

15-20 years ago, one would look forward to India - Pak matches There would be build up and media hype before the matches. Teams would be evenly matched and one could recognise the Pakistani players.

 

Something seems to have changed over the years. They no longer generate the same emotion or intensity, atleast from an Indian perspective. Even on match day, the twin tower demolition got way more hype than the match. All people care about is sharing memes when they win

 

Thoughts?

[Mariyam]

Me thinks it's to do with having obnoxious characters in the squad. If there are people who are easy to despise in the opposition camp, the rivalry automatically means a lot more.

Shoaib Akhtar, was/is one such full of himself cricketer who is very difficult to like no matter how good he is.

Umar Akmal was also v dislikable. 

Contrast this with the current Pakistani team. Most of them are decent players and seem very friendly to our players. What makes them even more difficult to dislike is a lot of them are fans of our cricketers. Deferential almost.

[Ankit_sharma03]

10 hours ago, Cricket_Hacker said:

Something seems to have changed over the years.

yea pakistan cricket team quality went to dogs, at the end u wanna see sides compete .

Now they seems to have improved a lot, in few years it will be back. 

 

Also need some X factor cricketers- earlier akthar, wasim, sachin, sehwag, yuvi, dhoni use to be exciting contest 

[HamHindustani]

Yes and the less we play fake benders, the lesser the charm will be

[Lone Wolf]

No charm is still there.... 

 

[Number]

Pakistan stopped being competitive since the 2011 world cup game. So it lost the charm but the matches are so rare these days that many people still look forward to them. 

[LordPrabhzy]

Nope- I didnt even watch India batting yesterday live on TV, was following on CI to check the score. 10 years ago i would have been glued to the TV set. When Kolhi and the team doesnt take the rivalry seriously anymore then why should the audience treat it as such? Pak isnt the team it was so its like any other match. Real rivalries are Australia and England now

[ravishingravi]

Actually I felt that Pakistanis did their best after their WC win to breathe some life into this rivalry, By antagonizing Indians, they felt they could re-kindle the rivalry. But they forgot that Indian don't recall anything beyond a week now. Especially with so much cricket being fed to the viewers. Someone will have to punch someone on the pitch to breathe some life into rivalry. 

[Swag]

1 hour ago, Lone Wolf said:

No charm is still there.... 

 

Wasay - Iffy are the best 

[AuxiliA]

1 hour ago, Lone Wolf said:

No charm is still there.... 

 

 

BC kaun hai yeh chumu..  BP bada diya chilla chillakar lol. 

[the don]

I find it funny when people say

 

“Pakistan team wasnt as strong. India became strong so the rivalry lost its charm”

 

So it was fun when Pakistan used to thrash India like no tomorrow? what kind of masochist tendency is that, it was a rivalry when pakistan was a way better side than India ? Lol

 

One of the two teams will always be stronger on paper and Pakistan have still won much more than they have lost. It has rarely been a clash of equalas.

Edited August 30, 2022 by the don

[coffee_rules]

Nah still relevant with players to hate like Hasan Ali with his Wagah border heroics and the hype of SS Afridi , such a mockable face. 

[maniac]

I think it has a lot to do with the way Pakistan as a country is functioning. 
 

earlier for good or bad there was always an equivalence and pride in an india vs Pak game. Now it’s a given that there is no overall comparison in any factor.

 

losing to Pak now feels like losing to Bangla or SL. It can happen on an off day, it does hurt but we can get over it much easier.

 

 

 

[Lone Wolf]

3 hours ago, the don said:

I find it funny when people say

 

“Pakistan team wasnt as strong. India became strong so the rivalry lost its charm”

 

So it was fun when Pakistan used to thrash India like no tomorrow? what kind of masochist tendency is that, it was a rivalry when pakistan was a way better side than India ? Lol

 

One of the two teams will always be stronger on paper and Pakistan have still won much more than they have lost. It has rarely been a clash of equalas.

Special mention to Shakoor Rana..  Fact is in multi nation tourneys...  India has always got the edge over Pak.  Be it ICC or Asia Cups.  We have more trophies.  We are far more elite.  Nothing can change that... And that's what matters in the end. 

[Austin 3:!6]

Overall cricket has lost its charm compared to what it was 15 years ago. But still India vs Pakistan is the most watched cricket game in planet earth and invoke emotions no other game does.

 

The country wide celebrations going on after we beat them this Sunday is a testimony of it. 

 

I think once we start playing bi-laterals this novelty will die down and it will be just another game. That is why I don't want bilateral series to start for matches like these in big tournaments.

[kubrickian]

Cricket in general has lost importance and hype because of IPL and overdose of cricket nowadays. Now people watch cricket like a Friday movie. Back in the 90s, I remember every game used to be an event and World Cup matches or games against Pakistan used to bring so much hype and expectations. I saw a bit of hype and buzz for Sunday's game after a long, long time. but nothing like it used to be.

[Throwaib_Chuckter]

Back in the day, cricket used to be the only gig in town in the subcontinent. More so an Indo-Pak match/series. That is no longer the case. There's still a considerable amount of pull that these games command, but it has to compete with a wide array of other distractions which are readily available at peoples fingertips. Still tickets sell out, TRPs are high, ad slots exorbitant, in short business is good.

 

When it comes to the sports-persons and cricket infrastructure across countries, both countries used to have an amateurish approach to cricket. India has moved away from that to a well structured system that churns out more professional cricketers from a burgeoning population. We see the benefits of that accruing across a majority of the games that India plays(not just against Pakistan). India definitely has a much better win rate over the past couple of decades.

 

Some here have pointed out that the attitudes of the current crop of Pakistan players are much more mellow and balanced in comparison to yesteryears. That is definitely evident in the camaraderie that we see on screen. Compare that to the Gen Zia era propaganda bred ex-cricketers who are still around in commentary positions, spouting ethno-religious bigotry occasionally.

I don't know whether this camaraderie dampens the spirits of the more rabid fans on both sides of the border

 

Chuckte Raho

TC

Edited August 30, 2022 by Throwaib_Chuckter

[Swag]

Just a point re camaraderie, India are on top at the moment with a much better side & with huge clout in the international stage, we are usually gracious in such circumstances.

Just watch when Pakistan starts winning regularly against us and/or if they achieve bigger clout in international cricket.  You might not see the so called camaraderie and friendship from their side.  It will be back to aggression/negative comments/mocking etc.  

I could of course be wrong but this is my take on things.  Don't be too easily fooled by the cool/mellow vibes we see currently. 

[the don]

1 hour ago, Lone Wolf said:

Special mention to Shakoor Rana..  Fact is in multi nation tourneys...  India has always got the edge over Pak.  Be it ICC or Asia Cups.  We have more trophies.  We are far more elite.  Nothing can change that... And that's what matters in the end. 

Yeah shakoor rana won pakistan matches against india all over the world lol.

Lol at Asia cup, even the australasia cup was a tougher tournament. Pakistan has been a stronger side for longer and the stats reflect that.

[nevada]

The current Pakistani team is pretty good and capable of beating India, making the rivalry interesting once again. This is in marked contrast to a few years ago when the balance was tilted in India's favour.