‘Five times the Super Bowl’: Why India vs Pakistan is a sporting rivalry like no other
CNNNew Delhi and Islamabad CNN — In October 1952, five years after the Indian subcontinent won independence from its British colonial rulers, a young Pakistan cricket team stepped foot in the newly formed Republic of India. And when Pakistan’s cricket captain, Babar Azam, gifted his country’s jersey to a ground worker at one of the stadiums, it was hailed by an Indian newspaper as a “terrific gesture.” Speaking to reporters before the World Cup began last month, Azam spoke of his excitement at being in the country. Avro Mukerji from Gurgaon, a city just outside capital New Delhi, said the game has “a special significance” for him as he has been avidly following this rivalry since 1992, when the Pakistan team, led by cricket legend turned former prime minister Imran Khan, clinched World Cup victory. “I think the turning point was 2004, when India toured Pakistan and beat them convincingly,” said Vaibhav Vats, a New Delhi based cricket writer. “That this is happening in what is now the world’s largest stadium… it’s symbolic of a new India,” said podcast host Shah.