On a scale of one to Pakistan, how incredible is it that we wait in anticipation of a India vs Pakistan final at this year’s Champions Trophy? In the most Pakistan way, the men in green have gone from playing like a bunch of schoolboys hurriedly assembled to play a tournament against India, to scripting famous wins over the world no 1 South Africa and pre-tournament favourites England.
And here are we, getting ready once again for the world event that is an India-Pakistan clash. The excitement will be dialled up to a new high. The hype will be created. The expectations will skyrocket.
It’s the same routine every time these two play, perhaps even crazier than usual seeing as they are playing in a final of an ICC event after 10 years and only for the second time ever in an ODI tournament, after the 1985 World Series.
If India-Pakistan matches themselves are a rarity these days, a high-stakes final is as rare as an over full of solid front-defensive strokes by Shahid Afridi.
Not interesting anymore
We will be party to that, as part of building up the expectations to a crescendo, but if recent history is anything to go by, what follows the hype is not a product worthy of it. Halfway through that match on June 4 at Edgbaston, reality seemed to set in: an India-Pakistan match is just not very interesting to watch.
When Sarfaraz Ahmed’s men started dropping catches, and batted like they deserved to be the last-ranked side in this tournament, one could not help but wonder how long will the facade of ‘greatest cricketing rivalry’ hold?
It’s not a secret anymore that matches between these two are often disappointing cricketing affairs. It’s not a secret anymore that India are a much better team than Pakistan these days. And the results have reflected that every time these two have met in the past few years.
One has to go back to Asia Cup in 2014 for the last time the two were involved in a match worthy of the build-up. Back then, Afridi played perhaps his most famous cameo, hitting two sixes in the final over off Ravichandran Ashwin to drag Pakistan over the finish line by just one wicket.
If we are talking about ICC events, then there has not been an exciting match since that famous evening in Centurion, when Misbah-ul-Haq played the roles of hero and villain to perfection in a thrilling World T20 final. That’s a decade ago.
Brief moments of class
When Pakistan were bowling first at Edgbaston a couple of weeks back, there were expectations once again. The world awaited a blockbuster. Mohammad Amir ran in with the white ball in his hand and beat Rohit Sharma four times in that first over. The second ball was a beauty. It shaped away ever so slightly, angling across Rohit, beating him for pace and movement.
Amir surged forward in his follow through, like all good fast bowlers do after bowling a good ball. There are a few extra steps that take you ever so close to the batsman. Amir was staring at Rohit. Rohit stared back. Few words were exchanged. Those watching from afar thought – OK, this could be good.
But that first over from Amir was perhaps the only time in the match it felt like a real contest between two sides. Yes, Pakistan had brief moments of class in the field but it never amounted to any real pressure on India.
In a match that lasted just over 80 overs, there was one over of genuine contest between two arch-rivals. That’s not what thrillers are made of. It’s like going for a blockbuster movie with great expectations and the only good part turns out to be trailers that run before the movie.
Even in the World T20 match at Eden Gardens last year, only Amir’s spell stood out. He breathed fire against India’s top order, but a Virat Kohli masterclass soon doused it. What was left was a match that is remembered more for Kohli’s salute to Sachin Tendulkar in the stands and not for the quality of cricket. That has been the case far too often between these two sides lately.
Cricket needs a gripping final
The two sets of fans will, of course, not mind an easy win for their side. Kohli will love nothing more than asserting his side’s dominance and opening his account in an ICC event as a captain. Sarfaraz will not mind a win as convincing as the one his side achieved against England in the semi-final.
But as a cricketing event, as a sporting rivalry that often transcends the game, a well-fought close match is what the game of cricket needs. And it can’t come soon enough, because there’s only so much the fans and media can do hype up these matches. It’s the actual cricket that can carry it forward.
Come Sunday, these two sides will walk out for the national anthems and that moment will provide goosebumps, no doubt. What happens in the 100 overs after that, however, will determine whether this rivalry is worth all the hype it gets.
As a contest, the India-Pakistan rivalry needs a match that will still remain in memory 10 years from now, just like that incredible encounter in South Africa in 2007.