A few days ago, Saurabh Ganguly switched off the India–Pakistan match after the 15th over and watched the Manchester Derby instead. I’m not surprised.
As a medical student in the 70s and 80s, I grew up watching Pakistan at its peak—Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Zaheer Abbas, Sarfraz Nawaz, Abdul Qadir, Mudassar Nazar, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar… giants of the game. Their fast bowlers were fearsome, their batsmen were artists. An India–Pakistan clash wasn’t just a match; it was a duel of skill, grit, and pride.
Fast forward to 2025. I don’t have Sony on my TV, so I tracked the Asia Cup T20 on Cricbuzz and watched the highlights on YouTube. India won so easily it hardly felt like cricket. Pakistan’s bowling was blunt, their batting amateurish, fielding embarrassing. I can’t even recall any player’s name.
This is not the cricket we once loved. And it’s not just Pakistan—where are the West Indies of the 80s, the Australia of the 90s, the fiery quicks from England? The art, the science, the skill, the style—all replaced by predictability and pure commerce. The thrill of that rivalry is gone.
If Vijay Merchant were alive today, he’d sigh and say: This is not cricket.