India vs Pakistan: Fans show fatigue as rivalry loses spark

On February 15, 2026, checking details of the stand on his match ticket, an excited fellow journalist said, “Our view is best for a square cut, jahaan Sehwag ne Shoaib Akhtar ko chakka maara tha (where Sehwag had slammed a six off Shoaib Akhtar).” The journalist was referring to the 2003 World Cup clash between the arch-rivals on a Maha Shivaratri day.

Around 13 years after India’s famous win over Pakistan at Centurion, the hype around the T20 World Cup clash was far from expected. As a dejected Harsha Bhogle said in a video, the buzz for an India-Pakistan game felt manufactured rather than organic.

Sitting inside the bus on its way to the iconic R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, I read a social media post stating the match was set to be the first India-Pakistan World Cup clash without either Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, or Virat Kohli. Not a mind-boggling stat, yet it made me wonder about the missing quintessential “star power” element in the current Indian team.

Indian fans missed the presence of stalwarts such as Rohit Sharma and Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the match against Pakistan in the ICC T20 World Cup at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on February 15 (Sunday).
| Photo Credit:
ANI

Diminishing rivalry

I was flown to Colombo to be part of Budweiser’s ‘Budex Hotel Programme’, where fans, tastemakers, journalists, and influencers were brought together under one roof, in an attempt to experience the frenzy around the so-called marquee encounter.

In the buildup to the Group A match, I interacted with fans from both teams, and the takeaway was the diminishing nature of the once-celebrated cricket rivalry. Sitting next to me enroute to the hotel from the airport, an Indian gentleman on his phone call said, “I have no interest in this, ya. The game is just an excuse for me to catch up with you all.” It was a sign of things to come for me.

The ‘will-they, won’t they’ situation, a result of Pakistan’s earlier decision to boycott playing India, had sucked the interest out of several fans. The game was clearly overshadowed by politics. Once the decks were cleared, the match was significant from a cricketing perspective, only because these two teams don’t play bilateral series.

ALSO READ: India-Pakistan encounter: In defence of the ‘boring’ match

On the breezy night before the clash, as I tried to make sense of the indifferent mood around the contest, I met a 20-something Pakistani fan. “My name is Anwar,” he said. A couple of minutes into our conversation, Anwar gave the impression of a self-aware fan. He had no qualms in accepting that India was a superior team. What was more striking was his disinterest in the hype. “What’s the party scene in Colombo?” That was his big query.

Pakistan fans had very less to cheer during their country’s ICC T20 World Cup game against India at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on February 15 (Sunday).
| Photo Credit:
LAHIRU HARSHANA

Mindset of new-gen players

Moments later, I met a young Pakistani player who was yet to get a game in the ongoing World Cup. “Do you feel the pressure?” I asked the cliched question. “Not at all. Pressure, even if it exists, will disappear after a couple of overs. After that, it’s just a game of cricket,” he said with a smile. A calm head, thought my less judgmental mind. Could it also be overconfidence? Asked my critical brain.

Another cliche question followed. “Who is your inspiration from Pakistan?”. He didn’t wait to reply, “Main khud,” (I am my inspiration). I didn’t expect an up-and-coming player to not pick a single name from the country’s rich cricketing history. The current players have borne the brunt of the media and experts for not valuing greats such as Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis.

Cricket talks in Colombo

Colombo is the neutral venue for the game, and the locals are keen to see if the match will live up to the hype. The World Cup has gripped the city with a feverish passion for cricket. At the popular Mount Lavinia beach, I see a young Faith taking catches from his father. He dives and takes them cleanly. Faith is just nine years old, and he is madly in love with cricket, his father tells me. “India-Pakistan will play to top Group A,” says the shy boy. “I watch WPL and IPL as well,” he adds.

On match day, a sea of blue covers the roads that led to Premadasa. Indian fans dance and sing, giving the impression of a must-watch game, though records tell a different story. Barring two instances (the 2017 Champions Trophy final and the 2021 T20 World Cup league game), India has been routinely winning matches against Pakistan at Major ICC tournaments.

Glory days

My disappointment stems from the glory days of watching these two teams fight it out with a heady mix of patriotism, talent, and heroism. My first memory of the thrill of watching an India-Pakistan game was my father clapping and shouting in joy after Hrishikesh Kanitkar hit the winning boundary of the penultimate ball to help India lift the Independence Cup in Dhaka. Every time they were pitted against each other in the 1990s and early 2000s in World Cups, players brought out their best versions (Ajay Jadeja and Venkatesh Prasad in 1996, Sachin Tendulkar and Saeed Anwar in 2003).

Just before entering the stadium, I saw a pumped-up stat-freak fan talking to local media. “Pakistan is the favourite! Indians haven’t figured out how to play Usman Tariq. Abhishek Sharma was unwell recently, and Tilak Varma has just returned from injury,” he said. His words gave me hope for an evenly fought contest.

ALSO READ: Pakistan will find it hard to beat India’s B team, says Sunil Gavaskar

An hour into the play, it was business as usual as Indian batsmen made a mockery of the enthusiastic fan’s analysis. More than the on-field battle, scenes two rows in front of me caught my attention. A Pakistani fan sat between two Indians. Every boundary and sixer saw the Indians playfully tease the Pakistani. The light-hearted banter was followed by a hug.

Admirable camaraderie

India put up a competitive total (175/7), and as the players departed for a break, I said hello to the trio in front of me. Umar, Ram, and Veeral were colleagues. They had travelled from Dubai to watch the game. “In Dubai, we don’t have any India-Pakistan animosity. We watch all matches together and enjoy them,” said Umar.

As India took on Pakistan in the ICC T20 World Cup on February 15 (Sunday) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, fans from both countries shared light-hearted moments.
| Photo Credit:
AP

The Pakistan fan added that hype is doing more harm than good to the team. “Babar doesn’t think he is the Kohli of Pakistan. It’s the narrative of the media,” he said. I asked the Indians if they were missing Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. “Of course, but T20 cricket does not need stars. It needs big-hitters and batsmen who can time the ball well,” they stated. Nicely put, and that’s another reason why the immense noise around just two teams makes less sense when the tournament has sprung several unexpected heroes and major upsets so far.

Much ado about nothing

Babar flops and Pakistan crumbles. There is no change in the script for the lop-sided rivalry. Despite watching a damp squib, fans wait to see if the players shake hands or not. They don’t, as politics continued to dictate things on the cricket ground. A journalist takes out his frustration of watching a dull game on social media. “You call this El Classico?” he wrote on his Instagram Stories.

I get inside the hotel lift, ready to retire after a long day. A Canadian greets me with a smile. “You watched the game, I suppose?” “Yes,” I said with a faint smile. “Oooh, India versus Pakistan, a big game,” he responded. “Do you watch cricket?” I quipped. “No. But I know India and Pakistan hate each other.”

His answer summed up the current state of competition between the two teams. The off-field developments have dented the on-field action. A spirited rivalry has lost its sheen.