Cricketer-turned-expert Deep Dasgupta stated that there is no rivalry between India & Pakistan, considering the massive gulf in quality between the two Asian countries in recent times. India defeated Pakistan in the space of eight days twice - both victories were one-sided affairs with the Men In Green being no match to the Suryakumar Yadav-led side in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025 tournament.
Dasgupta gave his blunt and straightforward verdict on the usage of the rivalry word when it comes to India-Pakistan clashes, and said that although rivalry exists between Australia, England, South Africa, and New Zealand, the level of competition between India & Pakistan is not the same as it used to be in the 90s and early 2000s.
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"What rivalry? I agree completely that the India-Pakistan cricket rivalry is no longer what it was. Other rivalries like India-Australia, India-England, India-New Zealand still exist, but India-Pakistan is not at that level anymore," he said on YouTube.
Notably, India skipper Suryakumar also stated in the post-match conference that India-Pakistan clashes are no longer a rivalry, with the team owing the Men In Green by winning seven games in white-ball formats since 2022. In all, the Men in Blue have faced Pakistan in 15 T20Is, with the former winning 12 of those matches.
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Suryakumar Yadav dismisses India vs Pakistan as a rivalry
After India's commanding six-wicket victory in the Super Four match, Surya pointed out the gulf between the two teams and bluntly said it is no longer a rivalry.
"Sir, my request is that we should now stop calling India vs Pakistan matches a rivalry," Suryakumar responded with a smile.
"Sir, rivalry and standard are all the same. Now, what is a rivalry? If two teams have played 15 matches and it's 8-7, that's a rivalry. Here it's 13-1 (12-3) or something. There is no contest," he said before winding up the media conference with a grin.
