Asia Cup 2023: Another chapter in India vs Pakistan rivalry

lsquoI have made it to 13 encounters there was no way I could not have made it to this one My wife and children are so hesitant so I came here all by myselfrdquo Every time India plays Pakistan 78yearold Ramkrishna Lahiri turns up in the audience donning his favourite eightyearold Team India jersey The cameras love a spectacle and Lahiri makes sure he gives them oneThere are many others like him as Saturdayrsquos feisty encounter promises to make its way to televisions in the most remote villages and flickering screens in the living rooms of a diaspora spread across different time zonesldquoI do not follow cricket But we bought a dozen India jerseys today as relatives will come over so we can enjoy the game together tomorrow It will be on TV for the entire day As a noncricket fan only India vs Pakistan games get me excited as it is a family gathering affair for usrdquo admits Pramita Varma a tech entrepreneur from ChennaiMuch like Varma there still exists plenty of cricket atheists around many of whom donrsquot understand the game The only time this aversion seemingly draws to an end is when India plays Pakistan Call it patriotism or peer pressure there is nothing quite like a match between the neighboursldquoIt is just an addiction like tea or coffee laughs I wonrsquot miss it for anythingrdquo adds Lahiri The clash on Saturday the first 50over game between the Asian cricketing giants in four years comes nearly a month before the ICC Cricket Menrsquos World CupA skipper with an ultraaggressive batting template and a master batter standing at the crossroads trying to reinvent himself will be eager to create a new narrative when India gets ready to settle scores with the familiar foes at the Pallekele stadium in Kandy Beyond this match theres a broader goal in mind to solidify the core combination for the upcoming World Cup by the end of this tournamentGeopolitical tension has almost entirely wiped out bilateral contests between the crossborder neighbours for more than a decade In fact this lack of regularity means that India vs Pakistan contests are held most often between lsquounfamiliarrsquo foes rather than lsquofamiliarrsquo ones considering that one cannot implement too many strategies against an opposition whom a team only plays once or twice a year but rather expect the unexpectedlsquoFirst of all let us hope the match lives up to the top billing Unfortunately that doesnrsquot seem to be the case on the big stage So many predictions and so many superstitions Are IndPak matches even exciting anymore I donrsquot think sordquo argues Sandeep Sukhija who works in the Indian Armyrsquos insurance directorate Sukhijarsquos comments cannot be entirely shrugged off blame it on the suffocating swirl of anticipation that precedes every such encounterAlso ReadCan Pakistan solve the India riddle in the Asia CupMore often than not these clashes have proved to be an anticlimax but the juxtaposing of the Playing XIs has long intrigued onersquos mind While Pakistan is renowned for breeding mesmerising speedsters India has long boasted masterful batsmen ndash the Gavaskars the Tendulkars and the Kohlis Although the tables have turned slightly with India now boasting arguably the worldrsquos best attack bolstered by the return of star pacer Jasprit Bumrah are the firm favourites to continue their dominance over Pakistan even at the World CupThe RohitShubman Gill pair has shown a lot of promise in recent times with its gungho approach and Virat Kohli at the top will be menacing with his allround strokes While Rohit Kohli or Hardik Pandya arenrsquot the ones to forget the 2021 World Cup humiliation easily the fact remains that the Men in Blue as a team looks slightly undercooked this time around KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer had been out of action for months and there is still no settled middleorder combination honestly The starstudded top order will carry an extra burden of expectations on the shoulders ndash and how they handle Shaheen Shah Afridirsquos fierce pace in the Powerplay would dictate how the match will pan outWill Indiarsquos old guard of Kohli and Rohit deliver That remains a big question moving forward A lot however will depend on how the trio of Shreyas Iyer Ishan and Hardik Pandya perform between overs 10 and 20 The trio with its explosive strength can perhaps take the Babarled Pakistan attack to cleaners with designated finisher Ravindra Jadeja stepping in during times of crisisAlso ReadAs you like itBut Babar Azam and Co cannot be discounted altogether After all the side ascended to the summit of the oneday international rankings only a week ago and is rated at 113483 surpassing Australiarsquos 113286 and Indiarsquos 112638 Riding high on confidence after having secured a clinical 59run win over Afghanistan on Tuesday to sweep the ODI series Pakistan trounced Nepal by 238 runs in the Asia Cup opener to further underline their credentials as cricketrsquos ultimate wildcardlsquoI would definitely not be surprised if we are beaten tomorrow The stakes are high but there can always be a turnaround They are a classy side and itrsquos the ODIs so fingers crossed My friends would judge me but supporting Pakistan doesnrsquot make me any less of an Indian right I canrsquot wait to watch the gamerdquo asserts Sundeep Padnekar a management consultant from MumbailsquoSimply for the love of cricket nothing elsersquo he adds A shift in the nature of fandom is overwhelming and as Sundeeprsquos idol Kohli also has been often heard saying lsquoit is just another gamersquo For some it is For others not so much While some might see it as a matter of lsquolife and deathrsquo others will claim it is much more than thatldquoIf we lose to Australia or England and New Zealand itrsquos fine Even Bangladesh for that matter But if we lose to Pakistan itrsquos like a sin It is not just another game it is something else My WhatsApp goes mad every time theres an IndiaPakistan game onrdquo feels Nevin Jose a communication professional from Delhi ldquoI wonrsquot really mind even if we do not win the Asia Cup as long as we are beating themrdquoAs hypernationalism comes to the fore once more on Saturday let us hope Sri Lankarsquos weather does not rudely intervene Until then keep watching the clouds