People say that every match is big, but when it comes to India Vs Pakistan, it becomes the biggest match. It is the passionate sub-continental skirmishes that trump any bland clash between other countries.
Cricket is a religion in India and nothing stirs up that frenzy among cricket fans the way an India-Pakistan match does. A close match can literally give you a fever, a win that transports you to the heights of euphoria and a defeat can depress you for days!
When Indians swear on the field, Pakistanis know exactly what is being said and vice versa. They speak the same language as us; they look similar to us and they have the same gaalis (abuses)! The Bangladesh team probably does as well, but an Indo-Bangladesh fixture doesn’t have anywhere near the same cache.
When audience expectations are so high and the pressure so intense, the players can get just as obsessive and crazy. Some of the most interesting episodes of world cricket have been scripted during Indo-Pak ties.
The audiences in Pakistan miss the energy, the atmosphere and the sheer excitement of an Indo-Pak tie. The huge banner in that picture says it all. And what can we say except that we reciprocate that sentiment?
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