Former Pakistan player questions Sourav Ganguly’s claims on Indo-Pak rivalry

The much-awaited India vs Pakistan match in the ODI World Cup is already creating quite a stir in Ahmedabad and across the country. The match is still more than three months away, but almost all the hotels are booked and flight tickets to Ahmedabad are getting costlier around the date of this crucial match. The match, to be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium on October 15, promises to be one of the highlights of the tournament. It holds special significance as it marks the return of the Pakistan cricket team to play international matches in India after more than a decade.

As is always the case in an India vs Pakistan match, the stakes are undeniably high. The last four matches between the two teams have been extremely tight and the matches went down to the last over. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly believes that India-Pakistan matches have lost their charm in recent years ever since India’s dominance has increased. Now this statement has not gone down well with fans across the border.

Former Pakistani cricketer Basit Ali was not too thrilled with Sourav Ganguly’s comments. While Basit acknowledged Ganguly’s extraordinary contribution to Indian cricket as a player and administrator, he presented compelling facts to challenge Ganguly’s view. He disagreed that the India-Pakistan match has been one-sided in India’s favour.

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Basit Ali said that since 2017, Pakistan has achieved significant successes against India, including their recent victories in the T20 World Cup and Asia Cup. Basit lauded Virat Kohli’s exceptional innings for India’s victory in the T20 World Cup. He also claimed that Pakistan has become a strong entity under the leadership of Babar Azam.

Basit Ali further said that he does not agree with Sourav Ganguly, who believes that India’s match against Australia, the opening match of the tournament, offers better quality. Ganguly claimed that the India vs Australia match could prove to be a better game in the World Cup because of the high standards of the game. However, Basit argued that India versus Pakistan holds a special place as “the mother of all battles”.

He also said that India vs Australia is a more crowd drawing match than India vs Pakistan. To that I would just like to say, ‘Brother, when India plays Australia, are the roads empty in your country? No, they are empty whenever there is an India-Pakistan match – both in India and Pakistan. Everyone is glued to their TV screens and praying. Take a look at World Cup ticket prices – India-Australia prices are nowhere near even India-Pakistan. So, I think Ganguly – Dadaji – is just trying to play mind games,’ said Basit Ali.

India has dominated in recent years, but Pakistan has emerged as a formidable rival. The clash between the neighbors in the ODI World Cup promises to be a captivating spectacle.