India vs Pakistan Cricket. (Source – Twitter/X)
India and Pakistan have had topsy-turvy diplomatic relations over the years. With geopolitical reasons acting as fuel to the fire, the strains get deeper. However, one thing in common between both countries is their love for cricket. Though India have outsmarted the neighbors several times, Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem piping Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra to clinch a Gold Medal at the Pari Olympics gave Pakistan a sense of respite.
Arshad created an all-time Olympic record to claim a gold medal as Neeraj had to settle for Silver at the global event. It is worth noting that, Neeraj claimed Gold in the previous Olympics and added silver to his medal streak. Shedding light on the rivalry, former Pakistan batter, Basi Ali retorted to Ravi Shastri’s claim of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy’s importance. Ali quipped that India is creating hype of Indo-Aus rivalry and nothing comes closer to Indo-Pak rivalry and even kept Ashes afar.
Also Read: ‘The batters need to be a lot more ruthless’ – Temba Bavuma ahead of second Test against West Indies
“I think they are trying to create hype. The whole world knows that India vs Pakistan is on one side and everything else is on the other side. Even Ashes isn’t that big. So, you are going to hear such statements now. Arshad Nadeem beat Neeraj Chopra at the Paris Olympics; otherwise, it was a certain gold medal for India,” said Basit on his YouTube channel.
“The Indian cricket team has made it clear that they won’t travel to Pakistan, so just conduct a bilateral series of hockey, javelin, or kabaddi between India and Pakistan in some other country, and you will know whether the India-Australia series is bigger or the India-Pakistan match is bigger. When Neeraj and Arshad compete in javelin, the whole world will be in front of the television, and the stadium will be full,” he added.
India aim for BGT hat-trick down under
India managed to breach the Australian fortress as they claimed the BGT in 2019. They repeated the same in 2021 and emerged victorious leaving Aussies pondering over their prowess back home. The newly built Indian team will be entering the kangaroo land for the most anticipated series by the end of this year and a hat-trick would propel India ahead in the rivalry constructed over the years by fans and pundits alike.