India vs Pakistan: The Mother of All Battles
The matches between India and Pakistan have always been the most sought after matches in the cricket world. The rivalry between these two nations just rises up the hype and expectations of every cricket fan in the world.
Since these two teams do not play any bilateral series against each other any more and only meet at ICC Tournaments and Asia Cup, it serves as a great spectacle to every cricket lover.
What makes the rivalry more exciting is that it has always been the battle between the Indian batting vs the Pakistani bowling. The Indian team is always known for its powerhouse batting lineup which can destroy any bowling attack in the world. Pakistan team, on the other hand, has been known to produce some of the finest and destructive bowlers in world cricket.
So, it becomes obvious that when the batting powerhouse team India takes on the destructive Pakistani bowling, the crowd are in for a cracker. The rivalry goes back decades. The memories of Javed Miandad hitting the last ball match-winning six to Chetan Sharma in 1986 Austral-Asia Cup or Venkatesh Prasad knocking out Aamir Sohail in 1996 ICC Cricket World Cup after being intimidated by the former; it is still afresh in everyone's mind.
There have been many more memorable moments and stories in every game that these two nations play against each other. The adrenaline rush of emotions, the surrounding and pressure of the game are not just felt by the players themselves, but also the people watching it.
India always had an upper hand over Pakistan in ICC Tournaments, but it has been an even result when it comes to Asia Cup. India and Pakistan have both won 5 matches each out of their last 11 encounters, while one got no result. While in UAE, Pakistan has always got better off team India by winning 19 out of the 26 matches played.
What makes this encounter more exciting is that it has never been a one-sided affair. There has always been a tough competition from both the sides. Asia Cup, in past, has itself seen the matches which have gone down the wire; for example, the Asia Cup 2010 encounter, where Harbhajan Singh came down the order to finish off the things for India with the bat or even the Asia Cup 2014 where Shahid Afridi did the job for Pakistan by hitting the winning runs in a nail-biting thriller. It has always been a blockbuster treat for everyone.
The fans, media, broadcasters, presenters have always played a huge role in developing this healthy but competitive rivalry among both the teams. Players from both the teams try to perform as better as possible for his team and try to meet the expectations of the fans supporting them. So, when India take on Pakistan in Asia Cup 2018, everyone would be expecting another blockbuster.