Rai will always be divided which is the biggest cricketing rivalry. It is a fact that the oldest of all of them is the ashes between England and Australia. While this rivalry is still playing to a large extent, whatever India and Pakistan added to the table is a political angle.

But does this make India vs Pakistan ‘more’ rivalry? Beyond every match – now the ICC is limited to the tournament – excessive, sometimes takes on the screening levels in broadcasters and campaigns, such as life means to come to a stagnation during the game. The players themselves have said that this is the promotion to run the competition, not real cricket. The ashes first add cricket. But for two South Asian teams, for better or worse, this is the first politics.

A new Netflix documentary series, The biggest rivalry is India vs PakistanThe world should not hit this fight as a box-office. India and Pakistan have been playing each other internationally since 1952. This three-part series focuses on a period between 1999 and 2008 when the team probably matched the most closely in their history. Bilateral tourism between the two was revived through a sheer political will, and cricket was used as a tool for diplomacy.

On the one hand, the political background, 1999 (in India) and in 2004 (in Pakistan), real cricket in two tourism produced some of the most prestigious moments in India -Pakistan cricket – Pakistanis got 10 wickets in Chennai, 10 wickets of Anil Kumbal Dhona in Delhi, Shoaib Akhtar- Silence a packed Eden Garden, India beat up Pakistan for the first time in Pakistan. This is not an exhaustive list.

Especially for Millennials, the film would be a happy indifferent journey for a time when cricket was purely two formats. For today’s gene-Z, which either not born or had children in this era, it is an insight into a period when India and Pakistan are not necessarily waiting for the world tournament to play each other Will be, as is now.

But was it always revatched between India and Pakistan? just no. Intentionally or not, the film does not mention snooze-fest India vs Pakistan for decades. The approach was not necessary to win, but to ensure that you do not lose, because losing a series also means losing the captaincy. Between 1952 and 1990, teams played 44 Tests, out of which 33 were draws. From 1952 to 1961 there were 13 consecutive draws, and a similar wave occurred in the 1980s, with no other results.

There was no immunity to ash draws or unilateral competitions, but relatively, approach was less conservative, leading to an edge in the biggest cricket rivalry debate. It should be noted that two tours included in this film took place at a time when Australia enjoyed a monopoly on ash, until England pulled it back in 2005. In this period, India versus had rivalry to see Pakistan.

Filmmakers corrected by focusing on India’s 2004 tour of Pakistan, a rare series is devoid of boring draw and one is that they all interviewed-Akhtar, Virender Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly, Inzam-ul-Haq, events See back for. Both on the field and outside. Pakistan journalist Usman Samiuddin recalled how the press corps felt the earth shaking under his feet at a pack stadium in Karachi for the first match of the tour. High-scoring thriller is given a good amount of airtime, and is given to coach Javed Miadad, who turned to a wild pesticide football manager while instructing Moin Khan in the final, when six were away from the last ball. Was. It bites the current miyadad, re -applies its last ball to Sharjah in its living room.

Still from Dock-series ‘The Greatest Rotation: India vs Pakistan’. , Photo Credit: Netflix India/YouTube

Another curious lapse is a controversy in Multan that divided a nation when Rahul Dravid announced the innings when Sachin Tendulkar was in 194. Instructions were given to give India to give enough time to give sufficient time for a win. It was a marked departure from the earlier strategy of self-conservation, but for the days, talked about all people. Author Rahul Bhattacharya has a chapter dedicated to it Pandit from PakistanAmidst the best tour diary nearby.

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The archival footage taken in airports, banquets and presidential palaces etc. is a pleasure, although film scenes and voices can be done with less re-enact, which are sometimes irritable. Tejatrar Akhtar never fails to entertain, although it increases slightly more because the film goes on a deep emotional path.

Today’s twenty-somving cannot be fully understood by that feeling, because the encounter between India and Pakistan is once or twice a year. Mobility has also changed. While India’s shares have increased, both in the field and in the ICC board, Pakistan has deteriorated at the point where they are not serious contenders to win trophies. His poor record against India in the ICC tournament says all this. Australia has changed Pakistan since then healthy rivalry Indian fans move forward.

Along with refusing to visit Pakistan for the upcoming Champions Trophy, bilateral competition in 2004 will remain a pipe dream. In the absence of regular Indo-Pak cricket, it pays to re-look at an era when rivalry was well and actually a great rivalry.