Salaam Cricket 2021: Difficult to organise Indo-Pak matches in India due to ticket demand, says Sourav Ganguly

All eyes of the cricketing fraternity will be on India and Pakistan when they lock horns in the T20 World Cup’s fourth match of the Super 12 on Sunday in Dubai.

India and Pakistan will lock horns at the Dubai International Stadium (AFP Photo)

HIGHLIGHTSIndia will take on Pakistan in their T20 World Cup opener on Oct. 24Pakistan have never beaten India in ICC World CupsI never felt any different pressure in India-Pakistan matches: Sourav Ganguly

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly said organising India vs Pakistan matches becomes very difficult in India due to the massive demand for tickets which is why he found it comparatively easier to take the game to the United Arab Emirates to kick-start the T20 World Cup.

All eyes of the cricketing fraternity will be on India and Pakistan when they lock horns in the T20 World Cup’s fourth match of the Super 12 on Sunday in Dubai.

This will be the first time Kohli will lead the Indian team in a T20 World Cup in search for his maiden ICC title. It will also be the last time Kohli will captain the Men in Blue in the shortest format.

“It is not the first time that we are starting a World Cup with an India-Pakistan match. In 2015 we started with a match against Pakistan. Maybe not in 2019, the Champions Trophy started with a match against Pakistan and then there was the the final,” Ganguly told said on Salaam Cricket 2021.

“This keeps happening because there is a lot of interest in that game. It is not too difficult to organise them. It didn’t feel like a difficult match even when I was playing.

“People used to say there is a different pressure in India-Pakistan matches, I never felt that. The first time I became the CAB president, the India-Pakistan match of the 2016 World Cup happened at the Eden Gardens and that was my first as an administrator.

“It is even more difficult to organise this match in India because there is so much demand for tickets. The attention on that match is just different over there which is not really the case over here,” the former India captain added.

India and Pakistan have met 5 times in the T20 World Cup with the Men in Blue winning all 5 contests. The only ICC tournament match that India lost against Pakistan was the 2017 Champions Trophy final in which Kohli was the captain.

“In the World Cups we have a good record against Pakistan and in the past few years India have, with due respect, dominated them. Pakistan was a very strong team once but slowly India caught up.

“Our setup and structure is so good that we can make good players. There is so much passion for this sport in our country, everyone wants to be a good player. So it will always be very healthy,” Ganguly said.

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