Boria Majumdar
In the last two weeks, a huge number of Pakistani influencers on X (formerly Twitter) have tried to engage with RevSportz team members, and made provocative comments. Interestingly, not once have I, for example, engaged with any one of their tweets. And yet, this trend continues. I call this the art of staying relevant. Much like the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President who decided to walk away with the trophy which his team wasn’t competent enough to win, these influencers need India to stay afloat. India, as I have said before, lives rent free in their heads and without reference to their eastern neighbour, they have little or no currency.
What we need to do is ignore them. They honestly don’t matter. While I like their persistence, the truth is Pakistan will become irrelevant after October 5, when India Women play them in Colombo. Both teams, men and women, have hit rock bottom and unless there is drastic improvement, Pakistan cricket will soon be the new West Indies. And that’s what makes them irrelevant for the cricket world. It isn’t the same rivalry, and that’s what explains the desperation to stay relevant. Now, with Pakistan players stopped from playing in overseas leagues, this downward slide will continue, forcing Salman Agha to say this is India’s age.
I grew up admiring the skill sets of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar. Saqlain Mushtaq was brilliant and Saeed Anwar in a class of his own. Not a single player in the current set-up comes close. Even when India play their worst cricket, like in the Asia Cup final, they still win. Pakistan were 113-1 and they folded for 146. India were 20-3, and went on to win reasonably comfortably. For each one of these journalists, it would perhaps be better to stop idolising Mohsin Naqvi and instead do a deep dive on where Pakistan cricket is headed under him.
For India, the match against Pakistan in Colombo should be routine. Despite the stutter against Sri Lanka, the spinners and batting depth made sure it was an easy win in the end. Sri Lankan pitches could offer help for the spinners and India will need to be mindful of that. Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana should use the game to score some good runs, for time spent in the middle always helps. Use Pakistan as a preparatory game for the tough matches ahead – that’s the best thing to do under the circumstances.
And, yes, we will soon see the Pakistani media up in arms as to why there are no handshakes. To remind them – it isn’t mandatory, and India have already made their stand clear. Instead of handshakes, it is essential they focus on the team and the performance on the field. They have the advantage of playing all of their games in Colombo, and any other team would have used it well. It will be of interest to see what Pakistan does, and if they can make use of this geopolitical ground reality. If not, the downturn will continue and could soon become a free fall.
Follow Revsportz for latest sports news