Blog: Are India-Pakistan games losing their bite?

Asia Cup opener last night was pretty lame despite the last over heroics. Blame it on or credit it to the players, who despite the pathology of nutters in both countries, show a healthy respect, even affection, for each other. The pain of loss and the joy of victory on a cricket field is totally different from the one we experience from our couch, the principal difference being those on the field gave it their all and those on the sofa rest on their fundament, getting up only to fetch their chai-samosa, beer-chips, or whatever was on the menu last night.

Not counting the superstitious ones whose batootie remained glued to the seat. In the annals of great sporting rivalry, nothing comes close to India-Pakistan matches because it involves both nationality, and at least for one side, religion, in a situation where cricket itself is a religion. England-Australia for the Ashes, Green Bay Packers versus Chicago Bears in American football, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox in baseball, Los Angeles Lakers versus Boston Celtics in basketball, Real Madrid and Barcelona in soccer etc don't come anywhere close to it because they do not involve a potent mix of religion and nationalism that sucks in more than 1.5 billion volatile people.

In fact, there is so much tension imbued in India-Pakistan games that my own feeling is that, assertions to the contrary notwithstanding, even the players are consumed by it. As a result, the fare they dish out is fairly mediocre. Today's game was an example.