New Delhi, February 16 – Following India's 61-run victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in Group A of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, former India captain Sourav Ganguly believes the idea of a guaranteed "big match" between India and Pakistan is outdated, as the intensity and competitiveness that once defined the rivalry no longer exist.
India's victory over defending champions Pakistan also secured their place in the Super Eights. Ishan Kishan's blistering 77 had set the tone earlier in the evening, and India's bowlers ensured the target of 176 was always out of reach, dismissing Pakistan for 114 in 18 overs.
Speaking to IANS, Ganguly stated that the current Pakistan team is not comparable to the legendary side that featured players like Javed Miandad and Wasim Akram.
"A 'big match' doesn't really exist anymore; those kinds of matches used to happen in the past. We make the mistake of thinking of Pakistan as the team of Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram, and Shahid Tanvir, but that Pakistan no longer exists," Ganguly told IANS.
With Sunday's win, India have strengthened their head-to-head record over Pakistan in the T20 World Cups to 8-1; Pakistan managed to win only once (in 2021).
"So, in my view, it's not a 'big match'. For me, the real 'big matches' are India vs Australia, India vs South Africa, and India vs England. There is a huge difference between the teams, so the result is somewhat expected. The gap in quality is more noticeable than the result itself," Ganguly added.
While India have secured their Super 8 qualification with a game to spare, Pakistan will now likely have to defeat Namibia in their final Group A fixture to have any chance of qualifying for the Super Eights phase of the event.
India will conclude their league stage campaign with the clash against the Netherlands on February 18 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.