With all the talks around The Ashes being the greatest cricketing rivalry of all time, people in the Indian subcontinent and even many outside of the same would argue that it is not quite the case. The rivalry between India and Pakistan on the field of play is arguably way more intense and bigger than what the Ashes could ever be.
A loss in the Ashes only results in the losing captain turning his resignation in and that too if the scoreline is humiliating, but a defeat in an India-Pakistan contest and that too if it comes at an ICC event results in people turning up on the streets in both countries and pelt stones at homes of the cricketers.
With so much hype around an India vs Pakistan contest especially during an ICC event, it becomes extremely crucial for players from both teams to bring their ‘A’ game to the table and give a reason to rejoice to all of their fans and followers.
The India vs Pakistan clash is never low in terms of magnitude and hence it requires the best players from both teams to make their presence felt when the stage is set for them to perform.
In the form of Virat Kohli and Babar Azam, both India and Pakistan have got two world-class batters and therefore whenever the two teams take centre stage at ICC events, fans and experts expect the two to set fire to the occasion.
Coincidentally, in the past six years or so, the outcome of an India-Pakistan clash at an ICC event has got decided by who out of both Virat and Babar racks up more runs on the given day.
It all began with the ICC Champions Trophy group stage clash between the sides in Birmingham when then-India skipper Virat scored an unbeaten 81 to power his side to 319 in 50 overs. In response, Babar could only manage 8 runs during the chase as India emerged victorious in the contest by 124 runs (D/L method).
However, the tables turned within a few days when the two teams met in the summit clash of the event at The Oval. With Babar scoring 46 runs while batting first, Virat could only accumulate five and it ended in India’s humiliating 180-run loss.
The trend continued at the 2019 ODI World Cup when the two teams sized each other up at Old Trafford in Manchester in the 22nd game of the tournament. Virat who was leading the side again scored 77 off just 65 deliveries and Babar, in reply, could only manage 48 runs as Pakistan fell short by 89 runs (D/L) in the chase.
The two Asian giants then locked horns during the T20 World Cup 2021 in Dubai and Pakistan managed to break India’s hoodoo in World Cup clashes as Babar’s unbeaten 68 eclipsed a hard-fought 57 scored by Virat on that evening in Dubai.
Riding high on the back of the grand success, Pakistan took on their nemesis in the T20 World Cup 2022 with the same gusto only to witness a knock for the ages that came off Virat’s marauding bat. With Babar dismissed for a duck while batting first, Pakistan somehow managed to reach 159. In pursuit of the total, India were staring the down the barrel at one stage but a phenomenal batting display from the former India skipper (82* off 53 balls) enabled the 2007 ICC World Twenty 20 champions to bag the contest on the last ball.
While the clash between the Asian neighbours in the upcoming ODI World Cup in Ahmedabad might see the addition of another chapter in the riveting trend that has continued since 2017, even if it doesn’t the fans will most likely witness yet another mouthwatering contest.