Venkatesh Prasad giving a send-off to Aamer Sohail might come to your mind when thinking about India and Pakistan facing off. The incident happened in the 1996 ODI World Cup quarterfinal. These fiery encounters were the norm for long. But in the last decade or so, we hardly see any moments like these in the India vs Pakistan match.
In the past, former players would themselves build up the match, fuelling its intensity. In contrast, the current lot simply call it ‘another game’. For instance, during the 2019 ODI World Cup, players were seen talking and sharing jokes before the national anthems—something rarely seen before.
An intense India vs Pakistan match coming up?
The Asia Cup 2025 might just become a throwback. We might see a fiery encounter. In the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack and skirmish between the two nations, former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram reckons things will be charged up in Dubai. But he doesn’t want either the players or the fans to close the line.
“Games between India and Pakistan are watched by billions around the world. I am sure these matches will be entertaining, just like all other India-Pakistan matches. But I hope both the players and the fans will remain disciplined and do not cross the line,” Akram told Telecom Asia Sport.
The legendary left-arm pacer said that the public from both nations are patriotic and will back their team. But that doesn’t mean that civility has to go out the window. At the end of the day, it’s sport and nothing more.
“If Indians are patriotic and want their team to win, the same goes for Pakistani fans,” he added.
Who are the favourites?
On who’ll be the favourite to win, Akram picked India. Since the 2010s, Pakistan hasn’t been able to consistently beat them. But T20I has the format where they have had the chance. Their only ICC victory came at the 2021 T20 World Cup and they also beat India at the 2022 T20 Asia Cup. But Akram thinks it’ll come down to which team handles the pressure the best.
“India has been in better form recently and will start as favourites, but the team that handles pressure best on the day will win,” Akram concluded.
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