Ganguly gives reality check on hype around India-Pakistan matches: ‘It’s not a big match for me’

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly shared his thoughts on the hype surrounding India-Pakistan matches nowadays, saying it’s no longer the big game for him and that it lacks zeal. His comments have come on the back of a lacklustre show from the Men in Green in Colombo, as they lost this marquee match by 61 runs - the biggest margin against India in T20 World Cups.

Ganguly, who led India to significant wins over Pakistan as the Indian captain, explains how everyone has fooled themselves into believing that the current Pakistan side is the same as that of the 1980s and late 1990s, which included match-winners like Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram and Saeed Anwar, among others. Drawing comparison with other teams against whom both the competition and results bring excitement, Ganguly said India-Australia and India-South Africa matches are grander than the ones against Pakistan because of the quality gap between all these sides.

"A big match doesn’t really exist now; big matches used to happen earlier. We make the mistake of thinking of Pakistan as the team of Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram, and Shahid Tanvir (mispronounced for another player), but that Pakistan no longer exists.

“So, in my view, it’s not a big match for me; the real big matches are India vs Australia, India vs South Africa, and India vs England. There’s a huge difference between the teams, so the result is expected, and the quality gap is more noticeable than the result,” Ganguly said in a chat with IANS following Team India’s 61-run win against their arch rivals.

Meanwhile, India has qualified for the Super 8s, becoming the second team after the West Indies to advance to the next round. On Monday, South Africa also qualified, courtesy of Afghanistan’s maiden win (over the UAE) in this edition.

India vs Pakistan in Colombo

In a lop-sided affair in Colombo on Sunday (Feb 15), India batted first after losing the toss. Opener Abhishek Sharma, who returned to the team after recovering from a stomach infection, got out on a four-ball duck before his partner, Ishan Kishan, owned the evening and Pakistan with his blistering 77 off 40 balls. Handy contributions from captain Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube ensured India posted a hefty total (175/5).

Pakistan never got going in the run chase, having lost four wickets inside the Powerplay, including three within the first two overs. Keeper-batter Usman Khan kept their hopes alive but failed to build on the momentum as Pakistan surrendered in 18 overs, losing their eighth match against India in this tournament's history.