'The matches between India and Pakistan are the biggest in the world.'
In the world of sports, few rivalries elicit as much passion, anticipation, and sheer spectacle as the historic clashes between India and Pakistan on the cricket field.
As anticipation builds for their first encounter in the Asia Cup 2023, cricketing stalwarts from both sides of the divide have shared their perspectives on the intense battle that is set to unfold on September 2.
Virat Kohli: 'The atmosphere on the outside is very, very different from other games. It's what's created on the outside that you can't really ignore. As a player when you step onto the field, it's any other game for you. The environment on the outside can pull you in. That's for you to enjoy and get excited about. Then it's usual business.'
Babar Azam: 'The India-Pakistan match has always been a rivalry. The entire world experiences the match and enjoys it. Even we enjoy it a lot. I feel that the level of cricket is very good and competitive. Fans miss the India-Pakistan match and both teams always give their 100 percent.'
Mohammad Rizwan: 'India are also a good team, we are also a good team. It is a pressure match with the world watching it. Whoever handles pressure will win the match.'
Salman Butt: 'Pakistan have Babar, Rizwan, Fakhar, Shadab, Shaheen, Haris Rauf. And in my opinion Pakistan have a much larger core group... They have not helped India win matches against Pakistan or on their own.'
Ravi Shastri: 'The intensity of this rivalry is unparalleled, spanning decades. It underscores that this clash goes beyond mere runs and wickets. It's about passion, honour, and the unbreakable ties of a nation.'
Sourav Ganguly: 'There is a lot of hype in this match, but the quality has not been that good for a long time because India kept on winning one-sided... They have not played against Pakistan for a long time for whatever reasons, their players no matter how much IPL they've played, they don't have the experience of playing in such a high-voltage clash.'
Waqar Younis: 'I feel we have had good games... So, you can say anything you want, the matches between India and Pakistan are the biggest in the world.'
Tom Moody: 'I think this match surpasses the Ashes... one thing that stands out for me is that (Pakistan) also boasts experience. So now they have the combination of experience and talent, they are a real threat.'
Ricky Ponting: 'It's one that we've been starved of... looking back the last 15 or 20 years... any time those sorts of battles come up it's almost always nice to sit back and watch because everything just goes up a notch, doesn't it?'
