The India vs. Pakistan rivalry has stirred up after the Asia Cup 2025 men’s finals game. Giving his insights on the rivalry, former Indian cricketer Saba Karim joins the debate with The Quint and talks about the October 5 game at Colombo.
Karim feels that the battle between the two teams is not a rivalry. He says, “For me, rivalry is when you see an even contest on the cricket field. One that conjures up images of passion and a lot of pressure-filled situations. That’s how I would define a rivalry. Rivalries have changed over the years, not just India–Pakistan, but also with other teams, where we’ve seen different momentum taking shape.”
The former cricketer states his opinion while highlighting the fact that the Indian Women’s team is well equipped in terms of resources and support received by the Board of Cricket Control (BCCI). This makes the Indian team well ahead of Pakistan, which makes their rivalry invalid in this case.
In WODIs, India Women vs. Pakistan Women have faced off 11 times, which has been a one-sided affair, which means all the games have been dominated and won by the Indian team.
Notably, the Pakistan women’s team will be playing all the matches of the Women’s World Cup 2025 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Karim feels while the team has no travelling issues, they hold a slight advantage over other teams. But the advantage won’t work if there is no good quality of performance. Their disappointing loss in the first game against Bangladesh is a testament to that.
In that game, Pakistan went all-out for 129 runs in 38.3 overs. Both the batting and bowling line-up failed to bring in the dominance; Bangladesh took the advantage in hand, finishing the target score in 31.1 overs at 131/3.
Shifting his focus on the no-handshake stance from Team India in the men’s Asia Cup 2025, Karim believes that the gesture should continue forward with the Indian women’s team too. He feels the BCCI directive must have been given in the Women’s World Cup for India Women against the Pakistan Women team. He also feels that besides the stance, the focus of the game remains among the cricketers.
He added, “I think the BCCI has made its stance very clear — that the Indian women’s team would also behave in the same manner as the men’s team did in the Asia Cup. Which means I don’t think the Indian women will be shaking hands with the Pakistani cricketers. That stance has been very clear, and I believe India will stick to it.”
· Inputs sourced from [The Quint]
