Moving On...

This Indo-Pak cricket series has been devoid of all the passions that usually accompany it. One could say, considering the frequency with which these teams play each other nowadays, it has become less and less of an entertainer. But Indo-Pak cricket has more than just cricket, hasn't it?
i think the rivalry was at its peak in the '80s when, ironically, both teams played each other as often as they do now. Sharjah was the battleground then, and anyone even remotely interested in the game knows about Javed Miandad's last ball six in 1986. The best team of the time was the West Indies, but no one seemed to care how we fared with them. As long as we beat Pakistan. Somehow the yardstick has changed and Australia is the team we have to beat, come what may. Some see the Pakistan series as a warm-up before the Australia tour! Have our focuses changed?
i think it's got to do with the fact that, as a nation, we aren't competing with Pakistan anymore. The world sees us as India, not as the 1st part of a hyphenation that linked us with Pakistan since 1947. We've left Pakistan behind in most economic indicators, and also most political ones. A battle on the cricket pitch in the 80's seemed almost allegorical to the battle for political and economic one-upmanship the two countries were involved in. Not so much anymore. If China played cricket (sorry... good cricket), the China tour of 2007 would have been the highlight of the cricket season. We've clearly moved on.