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On Sunday 23rd October, arch-rivals India and Pakistan crossed swords in a thrilling contest in the first match of their ICC Super 12 campaign. T20 World Cup 2022. With over 90,000 fans seated at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), fans from both nations and around the world witnessed an electrifying chase as Pakistan were defeated by India.
The mega clash between the two subcontinental heavyweights has always been a vital element, not only from the perspective of cricket, but also from the perspective of the fans, who make the duel a bigger event. Take every clash between the two sides in whatever format, it is the fans who feel the game more ‘personally’ and react accordingly if their side wins or loses.
Farokh Engineer expresses the fans’ stance on the crash
History has seen fans from both nations showing enthusiasm or becoming aggressive whether the team enjoys a win or has suffered a loss. More than 1.5 Cr. people saw the final clash live only on the digital platform. Also, the match was replayed the next day on Diwali and garnered similar numbers in terms of viewership. Former India international Farokh Engineer explains what the fixture means for the two cricket nations.
“I will tell you, they (the broadcasters) will play it on every Diwali, believe me (laughs). The Australia-New Zealand rivalry or the ashes, I mean, I don’t think the Western world realizes the impact of an India-Pakistan match. Because politically (India and Pakistan) are at odds, the only thing they can resolve is on the cricket pitch,” said Farokh Engineer at ‘BatBricks7 Presents Run Ki Runneeti Program on CricTracker’.
“It’s not just a game of cricket, it’s much more than that! People take it personally if India loses or Pakistan loses. They start blaming each other like when Arshdeep Singh, when he dropped that simple catch against Pakistan, I think his almost burned down the house in India. Then the guy comes along and brings out Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan (out), bowled magnificently! Both teams played in good spirits and cricket benefited from it. And I glad to hear there were no bad losers and congratulations to the fans for that,” added the former veteran cricketer.
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