On Sunday, when India celebrated its record third ICC Champions Trophy title, the official hosts of the tournament were not in anyone’s consciousness. Barring their name being featured on the host broadcaster’s logo on TV screens, Pakistan was absent. Incredibly, there was not a single Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official at the trophy ceremony, which was also dominated by Indian officials. Out of the four gentlemen who were on the stage to give away the medals, winners’ jackets and the trophy, three were Indian, including Jay Shah, who was of course there in his capacity as the current International Cricket Council (ICC) President. Understandably, many voices, including former cricketer Shoaib Akhtar, have questioned the lack of Pakistani representation on that stage. After all, how can there be no representation of the official hosts, even if the final and the ceremony were in Dubai?
Embarrassing Optics
The answer to that question is actually a ridiculously simple one. An ICC spokesperson has ended the controversy (though this also will be questioned), saying that no PCB official was present in Dubai for the final. The PCB Chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, couldn’t travel to Dubai because of pressing engagements in Pakistan (he is also the Pakistan Interior Minister), and neither did any other board official. Only office-bearers can be on the stage for a trophy presentation. This situation ideally should have been avoided, especially considering the fact that Pakistan were the official host of an ICC event after 29 years. After the team had a nightmare run and were eliminated without a single win, and despite all the hype and chatter over the hybrid model that saw India play all their matches in one venue (Dubai), Pakistani officials (whoever could travel at least) should have attended the final of what was, for all intents and purposes, their own event. The optics were embarrassing.
Two Nations, Two Stories
But then, this was just another reminder of the stark contrast in the overall fates of India and Pakistan—two countries that were born together but which travelled very different paths, including, ultimately, on the cricket field. While the men in blue absolutely dominated the tournament, winning all five of the matches they played and successfully clinching a trophy they had last won in 2013, Pakistan’s brand of cricket was not even a whisper on anyone’s lips. As the Indian team celebrated on the victory podium, 15 men proudly wearing the white champion’s jackets and celebrating their second ICC title in just over eight months, Pakistan was just missing in every which way—as hosts and as competitors. India not just reclaimed the trophy but the silverware essentially changed hands – from Pakistan, who were the defending champions, to a team which had been second-best to them the last time a Champions Trophy final was played, in 2017.
Off the field, though the PCB is assured of getting a hefty sum as hosting fees, along with a cut of the on-ground sponsorship and ticket revenue, there are some very big areas of concern. They reportedly spent around PKR 12.8 billion on stadium renovation, along with other expenses, and then witnessed venues that were not packed to the rafters, with multiple stands remaining vacant.
Not getting to host all matches in Pakistan, including the final, would have hurt too. But at the end of the day, this was, realistically, the only way a successful tournament could be held. Pakistan’s ultimate fate in the tournament was also, in many ways, a reflection of the overall fate of the two countries. In the almost 78 years since independence, India has established itself as an Asian superpower and a global player, while Pakistan is still riddled with internal conflict with a reported external debt of over $130 billion. Ironically, the ODI cricket field is one platform where Pakistan are still ahead of India, having dominated head-to-head proceedings in the 1980s and ‘90s, but there’s no denying the fact that the scales have tilted, in this millennium, almost completely India’s way. The two teams played bilateral ODI cricket last in 2012-13, when Pakistan travelled to India and lost a three-match series 1-2. Now, they only clash in the Asia Cup and ICC events. Though Pakistan did beat India by a huge margin of 180 runs in the 2017 Champions Trophy final, India have been the stand-out team in recent times, winning 13 of 17 ODIs against the men in green since 2010.
A Wide Gulf
In the ’80s and ’90s, many of Pakistan’s big wins against India in this format were registered in the UAE and in Sharjah, specifically. In fact, going into their clash this time in the Champions Trophy in Dubai, Pakistan boasted a head-to-head record of 19 wins in 28 ODIs against India in the UAE and also a T20i win at the same venue in the 2021 T20 World Cup. But the result, with India winning more than comfortably by six wickets, with 45 deliveries remaining, highlighted just how big the gulf is between these two countries, on the cricket field too. Sunil Gavaskar went on record to say that Pakistan would struggle against even a second-string Indian team. Former Pakistan cricketer and one of the best all-rounders in limited overs cricket history, Shahid Afridi, summed up the difference between the two sides when he told the host broadcasters that India just has more match-winners than Pakistan, going on to add, “A match-winner is someone who knows how to win the game single-handedly. Right now, we don’t have such players in Pakistan.”
A Stellar Performance By India
A quick overview of India’s performance at the ‘mini-World Cup’ this time will show that the team was not really stretched to the limit by any other team in the competition. While India once again stamped their authority as the best team in Asia by miles, dealing with Bangladesh and Pakistan with ease, they were also not overtly challenged as such by either Australia or New Zealand. Despite how high your heart rate might have been in the summit clash, when India needed 40 off 36 balls to win, with five wickets in hand, those who track Indian cricket knew that the batters in the middle would just deconstruct the situation into a T20 match to stave off pressure, shaving off roughly 10 deliveries. So, in the mind of a current Indian batter, the same equation is actually 40 needed off 26 balls. India ultimately won the final with a full over to spare. There’s no doubt that there was pressure, like KL Rahul admitted after the match, but this team knows all too well how to handle match tension. India at the Champions Trophy this time were not just clinical, they also gave the world another reminder of just how dominant a limited-overs side they have become. In the last three men’s ICC tournaments (ODIs & T20is combined), India triumphed in 23 of 24 completed matches. The only match they lost was the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup.
When India won the 2013 Champions Trophy title, the highlight of the trophy celebrations were Virat Kohli’s Gangnam-style dance moves and push-ups. Though we didn’t see any similar moves this time, the first ICC ODI title in twelve years for the number-one ranked ODI team in the world was another strong message for the rest of the cricketing world. Team India is what the mighty Aussies were once to world cricket. Pakistan, meanwhile, are still scrambling. The two completed matches they played this time saw them lose by substantial margins of 60 runs and six wickets. The second one was against India in Dubai—once Pakistan’s own home base. In the last 20 completed ODIs between India and Pakistan, the men in blue have won 14.
Why India Needed This Win
Though the Indian team and the management know just how dominant a side they have become in limited-overs cricket, this title win was something they really needed. After failing to cross the final hurdle at the last ODI World Cup and that too at home, the low of losing to Sri Lanka in a bilateral series for the first time in 27 years last year and then not managing to qualify for the ICC World Test Championship final for the first time, the only salve that could heal those wounds, at least to a certain extent, was an ICC trophy. The other expectation before this tournament was Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma playing characteristic stellar knocks, which had been missing from their repertoire for some time. Suffice it to say, no critic will be asking when these two stalwarts are going to hang up their boots, any time soon. Gautam Gambhir has his first big title as India coach and will also be breathing a lot easier now.
Credit where credit is due: by and large, no one can find fault with any of India’s strategies at this tournament. Playing five spinners ultimately proved to be a masterstroke. It was fitting that Ravindra Jadeja, one of India’s all-time best all-rounders and yet a largely underrated player, because of his position in the batting order, hit the winning runs in the final. ODIs, which had suddenly become a bit of a problem area, are once again a strength.
But the priceless treasure is the incredible squad and team depth that gave the Indian team their aura of invincibility. The title win was a complete team effort, with almost every player who took the field through the tournament stepping up to the plate to deliver. The middle and lower orders—once India’s Achilles heel—are now the most dependable in world cricket. With the likes of Shubman, KL, Shreyas, Hardik, Varun, Axar, Kuldeep and others as the flag-bearers of the future, with Virat, Rohit and Jadeja as mentors and with the T20i team dominating every opposition, the fate of Indian limited overs cricket overall is definitely in great hands.
A Long, Lightless Tunnel
The same can’t be said about Pakistan cricket. Former captain Babar Azam and current ODI skipper Mohammad Rizwan were axed from the T20i team for the upcoming series vs New Zealand, in the immediate aftermath of Pakistan’s early ouster from the Champions Trophy; a new captain was named. Another example of the situation Pakistan cricket finds itself in as it desperately tries to find some light at the end of a very long tunnel.
For now, the only similarity between the Indian and Pakistan cricket teams is the fact that they always find themselves in the same group at a multi-nation tournament because a clash of the arch-rivals is still considered to be the biggest cricketing cash cow, despite the fact that the contest is now, almost completely, a one-sided affair.
(The author is a former sports editor and primetime sports news anchor. He is currently a columnist, features writer and stage actor)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
