Thread by @gauravsabnis

Ugh, it's another weekend where this artificially created scarcity of an #INDvPAK "cricket" match at an ICC event is hyped, elevated, fetishized to disgusting levels.

The last real cricket match between India & Pakistan was played in 2007. When the rivalry was a real rivalry.

The last time India and Pakistan played a real cricket match, Sourav Ganguly scored a double century (and then wisely retired). Today, he is the figurehead president of Indian cricket (as Pappu Shah makes real decisions).

That's how long ago it's been. In real terms.

I'm not saying "real cricket" means just test cricket. I consider the epic bilateral ODI series played between India and Pakistan in the late 90s and early to mid 00s as real cricket too. Because they were part of the natural cricket cycle, the normal calendar. Real rivalry.

But 2008 onwards, Indian cricket, heavily controlled by Indian politicians, has unilaterally cut off any cricketing contacts with Pakistan. For reasons that are real and passionate and emotional to many. And supposedly principled.

I'm a fan of politics in sport!

But if you're bringing your politics, your beliefs, your convictions into sports, go all the way in your convictions.

1974, India reached Davis Cup finals for the first time, beating Japan, Australia, Soviet Union.

Forfeited the final cos it was against apartheid South Africa.

Indian govt, BCCI, many fans will give elaborate angry reasons for why they won't do pakistan tours and ban pakistani players from IPL and all this ongoing stunting.

But will still play pakistan in ICC tournaments. And then turn those rare matches into a jingoistic spectacle.

I grew up in probably the golden age of the actual India-Pak rivalry. Regular ODI and test series in my teens and early 20s. That was a real rivalry. All players got multiple looks at each other. Series followed series. That's an actual sports rivalry.

What happens tomorrow, much like the rare random #INDvPAK ICC event match every few years, is not really cricket. It's a reality show of sorts starring professional athletes and social media influencers.

People shamelessly saying they will watch cricket this year for this farce.

India has won an overwhelming majority of a dozen or so head-to-head #INDvPAK in ICC events over 29 years.

It's a stochastic outcome, combined with Indian cricket having way more resources & opportunities.

India instead treats it as evidence of "Indian exceptionalism".

What happens tomorrow in #INDvPAK will feature cricket, notionally, but will be the most "non cricket" match of the tournament. It'll mostly be Indians trolling pakistanis about how India wins a lot and pakistanis hoping for a chance to say, no, not this time.

Just jingoism.

While players for both teams give it their best, one team wins, and the winners get more praise than they deserve and the losers get more hate than they deserve.

That's what these farcical ICC #INDvPAK matches have been for 14 years now. Not really cricket.

BTW India government, if you care so much about this cricket rivalry, we could do this as regularly as the Ashes. That's what was done in my younger days. Y'all are the ones who think playing cricket regularly with people across the boundary is something evil, except world cups.

In conclusion, literally the worst thing in the cricket world these days is an #INDvPAK match and if you're romanticizing it, you're part of the problem.

Millions of Indians who completely ignored (except for the occasional WhatsApp forward) India's real cricket wins in Australia and England will suddenly buy merchandize, watch the match and cluelessly boast about watching #INDvPAK to prove...... something.

India, if an #INDvPAK means so much to you, we can have them all the time. I'm told Pakistan is not very far from India. Please stop enriching the creators of this artificial scarcity that only exists to make rich people richer and make bigoted people more bigoted.

Also, Indian cricket fans, hope you understand how cheap and sleazy your "India is the Baap of Pakistan, Kohli is the Baap of Pakistan" trash talk sounds in 2021. That's the limit of your metaphors dominance? A lazy version of "Luke, I'm your father"?

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