Former champions India and Pakistan will play in a Twenty20 World Cup blockbuster in Dubai on Sunday, and the buildup to the match demonstrates the game’s ongoing appeal between the subcontinent’s bickering neighbors.
Virat Kohli of India and Babar Azam of Pakistan have both described the match as “just another game,” yet this is plainly not the case.
The last bilateral series between India and Pakistan was in 2013, and the teams now only encounter in global tournaments, the most recent of which being the 2019 ODI World Cup in England.
Former India player Suresh Raina wrote for the International Cricket Council (ICC) website on Saturday “I was involved in the games in 2014 and 2016. If you ask me, as a player, it was always a high-pressure game.”
He added “In the build-up, everyone is just telling you how big it is.”
“The fans have enjoyed this rivalry over the years and it is cricket at its best.”
The 17,500 tickets for the game were sold out within hours of being on sale, and special specials on both countries’ television stations are airing about the event.
“My inbox is flooded with requests for match passes,” Dubai businessman Anis Sajan, owner of the franchise in United Arab Emirates’ domestic T10 tournament led by England captain Eoin Morgan, informed Reuters. “I’d say an India-Pakistan match is bigger than the Ashes.
“It may have become one-sided of late but emotions run high,” Sajan, vice president of the Dubai-based Danube Group, told inferring to India’s 12-0 record against Pakistan in cricket World Cups.