Sport’s most hostile rivalry enters a new era when India and Pakistan face off in an Asia Cup T20 group match in Dubai from 12.30am AEST on Monday morning.
It is the first time that the neighbouring nations will play each other since a four-day conflict broke out in the disputed Kashmir region in May.
More than 70 people were killed by missile, drone and artillery strikes before a ceasefire was agreed.
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It was the worst escalation of tensions between the two countries this century, and cricket felt the affects of the conflict when the Indian Premier League had to be suspended over safety concerns.
A match in Dharamsala was even abandoned midway through it for fears the lights at the stadium in India’s north would serve as a target for missile strikes.
Despite a fifth war between the two countries being avoided, the hatred towards one another is still bubbling away, as it has done since partition 78 years ago, when the colonial British carved Muslim-majority Pakistan out of Hindu-majority India.
Many big names in Indian cricket have objected to their country playing against Pakistan so soon after the crisis.
Even current Indian coach Gautam Gambhir said in the aftermath of the conflict that the two teams should not meet, even in neutral territory.
The animosity goes far beyond the cricket field.
American-Pakistani comedian Kumail Nanjiani recently joked on the Late Night with Seth Meyers that American sporting rivalries paled in comparison to India and Pakistan, saying while American sporting team trade insults, “Pakistan and India have nuclear weapons pointed at each other”.
With so much bad blood between the two countries, it begs the question, why are they playing against one another?
In the end, cash is king.
India-Pakistan matches are cricket’s biggest money spinners, and if the Asia Cup organisers’ dreams come true, the neighbours, who seemingly are always at boiling point, could play three matches against each other in the tournament – a group game, a Super Four clash and a final.
26 BILLION REASONS WHY POLITICS BRIEFLY GET PUT ASIDE
India and Pakistan only face off in International Cricket Council events – the ODI World Cup, the T20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy – or in the Asia Cup.
They have not played a bilateral series since 2012, and they have not played a Test match against each other since 2007.
Pakistani players were also barred from the IPL following the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks.
Not playing cricket against one another is not a modern phenomenon.
There were no matches between 1962 and 1977 due to two major wars.
Pakistan withdrew from the India-hosted 1990/91 Asia Cup following an uprising in the India-administered Kashmir, and the 1993 edition was cancelled due to heighten tensions.
The scarcity makes fans desperate to witness the arch-rivals lock horns, and that is why the ICC boasted that the India-Pakistan match at this year’s Champions Trophy, also played in Dubai when Pakistan hosted the tournament, was one of the highest rating ODIs of all-time in India.
The ICC’s figures reported that more than 26 billion minutes were spent watching Virat Kohli score an unbeaten century as he guided India to a six-wicket win, surpassing the 19.5 billion viewing minutes from their ODI World Cup clash two years ago.
That leads to a lot of advertising revenue for broadcasters.
Tickets to be a spectator in the ground are also highly sought after.
To boost attendances at other matches, general admission passes are being sold in three-game bundles, for a little more than $200.
Premium tickets were priced at $430 – also in a three-game bundle – while a hospitality ticket for the India-Pakistan clash went for more than $1500.
If fans really wanted to splurge, a private box for four people, set them back almost $13,700.
Tickets for the following day’s match between Sri Lanka and Hong Kong start at less than $25 for comparison.
With such extravagant dollar sums emerging, it is little wonder why politics is able to be briefly put aside for the odd cricket match.
Asia Cup organisers have long found ways to shuffle the tournament around in the interest of maximising India-Pakistan matches.
Their group game in the previous edition of the tournament, which was played in the ODI format in Sri Lanka two years ago, was washed out.
When both sides advanced to the Super Four round – which is in place to try ensure at least two India v Pakistan in the tournament as the top four teams all play each other instead of having straight semi-finals – tournament officials added a reserve day for their next clash, when no other matches were afforded one.
The officials making those controversial decisions are closely linked with both the Indian and Pakistani governments.
In the subcontinent, it is not a political football, but a political bat and ball, as Asian Cricket Council president Mohsin Naqvi also serves as chair of the Pakistan Cricket Board, and is the country’s interior minister.
Meanwhile ICC chair Jay Shah, who used to be the head of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, is the son of India’s home affairs minister Amit Shah.
Such powerful men are able to put their nationalistic differences aside for fleeting moments when it comes to cricket, but not everyone in positions of influence believes that should be the case.
‘THERE SHOULD NOT BE ANYTHING BETWEEN INDIA AND PAKISTAN’: INDIAN COACH’S OBJECTIONS
As India coach Gautam Gambhir ponders over how his country’s next generation of stars fare in a major tournament for the first time since icons Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja retired from T20 internationals, his own words are also hovering over him.
When conflict broke out in May, Gambhir was asked whether he believes India and Pakistan should meet on the cricket field.
The former opening batter said he did not think they should, even at a neutral venue like Dubai.
“My personal answer to this is absolutely no… there should not be anything between India and Pakistan,” Gambhir said.
“Ultimately, this is government’s decision whether we play them or not.
“I have said this before also, no cricket match or Bollywood or any other interaction is more important than the life of Indian soldiers and Indian citizens.
“Matches will keep happening, movies will be made, singers will continue to perform, but nothing comes close to losing a loved one in your family.
“This is not up to me, it’s not in my jurisdiction, this is for BCCI and more importantly, the government to decide whether we should play them or not.
“Whatever decision they make, we should be absolutely fine with it and not politicise it.”
Gambhir has had to hold true to his final comments, even though he has been blasted on social media for holding such an opinion, and still fronting up in the United Arab Emirates for the tournament.
The 43-year-old will no doubt be spending more time focusing on how to defeat a new-look Pakistan team after modern greats Babar Azam and Mohamed Rizwan, who famously combined for an unbeaten 152 run opening stand in Dubai four years ago to topple India in a World Cup game for the first time, were left out of the squad, than trawling through social media comments.
Gambhir does have plenty of support from his former teammates, however.
‘BLOOD AND SWEAT CANNOT CO-EXIST’: LEGENDS’ THOUGHTS
Following May’s conflict, a team of retired Indian players refused to play against Pakistan in the World Championship of Legends T20 tournament held in England in July and August.
Led by captain Yuvraj Singh, the Indian legends decided against facing Pakistan, and withdrew from their semi-final, after a wave of calls from Indian fans to boycott the matches.
Former Indian off spinner Harbhajan Singh was part of that legends team, and offered insight into their decision making by also making strong comments against Asia Cup clash.
“Blood and sweat cannot co-exist,” Harbhajan told The Times of India.
“It cannot be the case that there’s fighting on the border, tensions between the two nations, and we go to play cricket.
“Until these big issues are resolved, cricket is a very small matter.”
It is a sad state after the Netflix documentary ‘The Great Rivalry: India v Pakistan’ aired earlier this year, featuring many of both nations’ greatest players talking about how much the sporting rivalry means to them.
Former Indian opening batter Virender Sehwag said, “this is a contest bigger than one between the bat and ball”, in reference to the political upheaval between the two nations.
One-time Pakistan batter turned broadcaster and official Ramiz Raja said, it’s “the political garnish that makes this rivalry world-class”.
Other greats go on to say that it is in the pinnacle of the sport.
Former Pakistan fast bowler Waqar Younis said: “I put this rivalry right at the top. There’s no match like India v Pakistan.”
India’s recently retired from international cricket champion off spinner Ravichandran Ashwin agreed, saying, “I think this is bigger than the Ashes”.
Australia got an incredible taste for the positive aspects of the rivalry when they faced off at the MCG during the 2022 T20 World Cup.
A full house watched, cheered, donned their colours, waved their flags, celebrated and commiserated as Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 82 guided India to victory in a final ball thriller.
Any animosity on that October night was overshadowed by an incredible love and passion for the sport.
The success of the occasion is why the Melbourne Cricket Club entertained the idea of hosting a India-Pakistan Test match at the MCG.
That proposition has sadly petered out in recent times.
The MCG will stage one of the best days on the cricket calendar when Australia and England meet this coming Boxing Day.
Now, imagine if that was prohibited.
IMAGINE THERE WAS NO ASHES
A ban on the Ashes is the cricketing equivalent of India and Pakistan not playing bilateral series against one another, according to former Australian fast bowler Brett Lee.
The 48-year-old was a fan favourite in India throughout his playing days in international cricket as well as the IPL, and whether it be as a cricketer, broadcaster or Bollywood actor, Lee has spent more time in India than most Australians.
He has a great understanding and deep appreciation for India, and speaking on Fox Cricket podcast The Follow On, Lee said he is pleased that the two nations will face off in the Asia Cup.
“If you ask the players, they just want to play cricket,” Lee said.
“They just want to have some fun. You know, they’re out there as athletes. They want to have the opportunity to play against every nation. is so important.
“Imagine saying for us (as Australians) we can’t play against England.
“I’m not in their shoes, I’m not going to even try to go down that path to what they’ve both been through.
“But if you look purely from a cricketing point of view, they just want to express themselves as athletes.
“So I’m really glad the Asia Cup’s been put on. I’m glad that both teams have agreed to play against each other, because in the end, as I keep saying, they want to go out there, and there won’t be any love lost when they walk on the field.
“But what I can promise you is, off the field, they’ll be shaking hands. They’ll be hugging each other, the respects there for each other, and that’s all about cricket.”
India’s Asia Cup squad
Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (wk), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh
Pakistan’s Asia Cup squad
Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Waseem Jr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Afridi, Sufyan Moqim
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