Former India captain Sourav Ganguly revealed that he got so bored during the match against Pakistan on September 14 that he changed the channel in the 15th over of first innings and started watching the Manchester derby instead.
“I am actually not surprised by what I saw. I actually stopped watching after the first 15 overs and started watching Manchester United and Man City (in English Premier League),” Ganguly said at an event in Kolkata event on September 15.
Ganguly feels that the India-Pakistan contests are not worth the hype anymore as India have dominated them for the last five years. He would rather watch India face Afghanistan, than the Pakistan clash.
“Pakistan are no match. I say that with respect, it's just because I've seen what their team was. It's the lack of quality in the side,” the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) President said.
“There is no competition I would rather watch India play Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, England, Sri Lanka, or even Afghanistan. I don’t think India and Pakistan are a contest anymore. We keep hyping it, and for the last five years, every hype has been shattered. It’s been one-way traffic,” he added.
Ganguly was asked whether the match between the two countries should be played. He feels that sports events should continue and terror should stop across the globe.
“Terror must stop, that's most important, all around the world, not just India and Pakistan. You've seen so many things happening, so that also must stop. But sports also cannot stop. Terror has to stop all around the world,” he concluded.
Not much challenge on field, IND-PAK contest leads to controversy
India captain Suryakumar Yadav chose not to shake Pakistan skipper Salman Agha’s hand at the coin toss and after the match, expressing solidarity with Pahalgam terrorist attack victims. The customary handshake snub irked Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). They have lodged a formal protest and written a letter to International Cricket Council (ICC) demanding removal of match referee Andy Pycroft. However, the ICC is highly likely to reject PCB’s request as Pycroft had little role in the matter.