Passion, politics and patriotism meld as Pakistan and India clash in cricket's fiercest rivalry

NEW DELHI (AP) — It is a sports rivalry like no other in the world.

When India and Pakistan face off in Dubai on Sunday, the cricket contest will be amped up by so much more — the 78 years of bitterness between the two arch rival nations, the heightened political hostilities, and the patriotic zeal of hundreds of millions of people.

Cricket-mad nations India and Pakistan are competing in the game’s 50-over format for the coveted eight-nation Champions Trophy tournament that began on Wednesday in Pakistan. While six national teams have travelled to Pakistan for the tournament, India has refused to go there by leveraging its strong influence on International Cricket Council, the game's global governing body.

Indian cricket authorities have offered no formal statement about refusing to play in Pakistan, but some officials have suggested that the decision was based on security concerns. India will play all its matches — including the one against Pakistan — at a neutral venue in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

The game's political undertones

In both India and Pakistan, cricket has become a symbol of national identity and every clash grabs the attention of more than a billion fans. And Sunday's match comes at a time when relations between the two neighbors have hit a new low.

That animosity largely stems from the two countries' dispute over Kashmir, a restive Himalayan region over which they have fought two wars. Nuclear-armed rivals each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim the territory in its entirety.

Compounding the territorial dispute are heightened tensions stemming from the deadly 2008 Mumbai attacks that India blamed on Pakistani militants, a charge Islamabad denies.

And sporting relations inevitably ebb and flow with the politics. Bilateral cricket ties have remained suspended since 2008, and the two national teams have only played each other in global events where they are always paired together in a group to ensure there is a contest between them.

Even though the Indian team has not travelled to Pakistan since 2008, Pakistan played in India in 2023 during the World Cup, including before a hostile crowd at a cricket stadium named after Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

So-called “cricket diplomacy” has occasionally thawed out relations but that hasn't been the case under Modi. His Hindu nationalist government has taken a tough stance on resuming friendlier cricket ties with Pakistan with many senior ministers saying Indian team won’t play in the country.

Dozens of people in India and disputed Kashmir have also faced police complaints and sometimes even jail for cheering for the Pakistani team.

“Cricket is the strongest currency in the eyes of this government which they have used to instigate resentment and anger against Pakistan,” said Sharda Ugra, an Indian sports writer. Ugra said while the fans of the two countries are eager to watch the two nations play more often, the contest “has been held hostage to ugly politics.”

The eyes of hundreds of millions are on the game

In sheer numbers, viewership for the India-Pakistan match dwarfs the Super Bowl in what Ugra calls the “greatest sports rivalry in the world” bar none.

When the two sides played against each other in 2023 in India, the estimated viewership — on cable television and streaming services — was around 400 million. In comparison, this year’s Super Bowl averaged a 127.7 million across all platforms in the U.S.

Organizers expect similar numbers for Sunday’s contest that will be played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. And it's a guaranteed windfall as tickets for the game sold out within minutes while billion-dollar broadcast deals have been hammered out.

Media in both the countries are cashing in too. Pakistani and Indian TV news channels are providing wall-to-wall coverage. In recent weeks, TV commercials in both countries used patriotic fervor to poke fun at each other.

Local authorities and private companies in both the countries have announced that they would set up giant screens in some city centers and inside shopping malls.

Fans want more

For many fans, this clash holds more value than any other sporting event in the world — and they want more of it.

In India’s western city of Mumbai, cricket coach Anil Sawant plans to watch the game at a clubhouse along with his friends on a giant screen.

“These matches should take place often,” 57-year-old Sawant said, as his students honed their skills during practice at the city’s Shivaji Park ground — a favorite for cricketers of all ages.

Mohammad Ahmed, a 27-year-old accountant, has also planned to host seven of his friends at his home in Pakistan’s Rawalpindi city. All of them will watch the game on a big screen and he plans to serve them special chicken biryani.

“And of course French fries and soft drinks will be on the menu too,” Ahmed said with a smile.

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Associated Press journalists Rizwan Ali in Islamabad, Pakistan and Rajanish Kakade in Mumbai contributed to this report.