Ganguly Dismisses India-Pakistan Clash as 'No Contest,' Prefers Manchester Derby

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly believes that India vs Pakistan simply does not live up to the hype anymore. Speaking at an event in Kolkata after the Asia Cup group-stage match, Ganguly said that the Pakistan side is simply no match for India any more.

Pakistan failed with both bat and ball against the Indian team on Sunday, September 14. After scoring just 127 runs with the bat, they failed to put any pressure on India and saw their arch-rivals march to the target in just 15.5 overs.

Ganguly said that he got bored by the game within the first 15 overs and switched to the Premier League instead, where Manchester United were taking on Manchester City.

“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 a Kolkata event on Monday, September 15.

The former skipper, who has many memorable matches against Pakistan, said that he would rather watch India play any other team in world cricket than Pakistan. Ganguly said that the hype of India vs Pakistan in the last 5 years has gone down the drain due to Pakistan's inability to produce top quality cricket.

“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,” he 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.

In his concluding remarks on the game and the relationship between the two countries, Ganguly said that terror across the world needs to be stopped.

“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.

India vs Pakistan at the Asia Cup was played in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor. India captain Suryakumar Yadav and the team refused to shake hands with the Pakistan side, which infuriated the opposition team.

Pakistan have now threatened to boycott the tournament in case match referee Andy Pycroft (who officiated the IND vs PAK game) is not removed from the remainder of the competition.