Opinion Rivalry retuned
Indo-Pak World Cup matches remain a draw, but nature of contest and expectations of fans have altered.
The Indo-Pak World Cup rivalry began in 1992, with Pakistan dominating individual match-ups until then. In a newspaper article from that time, a writer recalls his grandmother, taking in one such match on TV, wondering who this dasher was, this “Indrajith” with flowing locks and powerful build, who as if by magic, routed India unfailingly. Imran Khan, and subsequently in the 1990s and 2000s, Pakistan’s legion of apparent superheroes — Aaqib Javed, Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi and Saeed Anwar — struck fear in the hearts of the Indian fan.
Only in World Cups did India hold its own, turning the distilled disquiet of its fans into relief and joy. Six times in a row, as it turned out.
The tide has turned. The Indian side has its own stars and the board has acquired heft. The rivalry, with TV cameras pointed at it, has morphed too. Now, it is an NRI event — plane-loads of fans clogged pubs, streets and screening zones in Adelaide on Sunday. It has developed exclusivity — India played Pakistan 47 times in the ’90s (ODIs), 41 times in the ’00s and on only nine occasions in the last five years. Even the happy ending (for Indians) is a statistical likelihood. In the ’90s, India’s ODI win per cent against Pakistan was 29.8, going up to 43.9 in the ’00s and 66.6 since then. On Sunday, skipper Misbah-ul-Haq seemed reduced, a tragic parody of the Pakistan fan in the promo, waiting futilely for a Cup win over India.
For long, in the cup that mattered, the Indo-Pak game had been the match that mattered, providing fans with the crucial input in their emotional arithmetic — defeating the archrival leavened the pain of an early exit. Until in 2011, India did it all, beating Pakistan en route to the triumphant night in Mumbai. Now, like customers used to a certain level of service, the fans will perhaps demand nothing less.
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