Fans take India vs Pakistan clash personally: Farokh Engineer

On October 23, Sunday, arch rivals India and Pakistan crossed swords in a thriller of a contest in the first match of their Super 12 campaign of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. With over 90,000 fans seated in the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), supporters of both the nations and around the world witnessed an electrifying chase wherein Pakistan were defeated at the hands of India.

The mega clash between the two subcontinental heavyweights has always been a vital fixture not just from the cricketing perspective but also fans make the duel a bigger event altogether. Take every clash between the two sides in any format, it’s the fans who feel the game more ‘personally’ and react accordingly if their side wins or loses.

Farokh Engineer voices fans’ stance on clash

History has witnessed fans of both nations displaying excitement or becoming aggressive if the side relishes a victory or has endured a defeat. Over 1.5Cr. people watched the ultimate clash live on just the digital platform. Furthermore, the match was replayed the following day on Diwali that garnered similar numbers in terms of viewership. Former India international, Farokh Engineer explains what the fixture means to the two cricketing nations.

“I’ll tell you, they (broadcasters) will play it every single Diwali, believe me (laughs). The rivalry between Australia-New Zealand or the Ashes, I mean I don’t think the western world realises the impact of an India-Pakistan fixture. Because politically they (India and Pakistan) are at loggerheads the only thing they can resolve is on the cricket pitch,” said Farokh Engineer on 'BatBricks7 presents Run Ki Runneeti show on CricTracker'.

"It is not just a game of cricket, its much more than that! People take it personally if India lose or if Pakistan lose. They start blaming each other like when Arshdeep Singh, when he dropped that simple catch against Pakistan, I think his house was nearly burned down in India. Then the guy comes and gets Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan (out), he bowled superbly! Both sides played in good spirit and cricket benefitted from it. And I was glad to hear that there were no bad losers and I congratulate both the fans for that,” added the former veteran cricketer.  

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