India-Pakistan rivalry superior to Ashes and India-Australia series, says former cricketer

Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has responded to Indian legend Ravi Shastri’s recent statement that India will defeat Australia for the third consecutive time in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy. 

Shastri expressed confidence in India's chances of securing another victory, citing the team's fitness and strong bowling lineup as key factors.

“It is going to be one heck of a series, and India have every chance of making it a hat-trick because they've got their bowlers fit, and if they can bat well, they can tickle [beat] Australia once again,” Shastri said.

However, Basit Ali believes Shastri's comments are an attempt to generate hype around the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. 

Ali suggested that the rivalry between India and Australia, though significant, does not compare to the intensity of an India-Pakistan showdown. He even argued that the legendary Ashes series cannot match the fervor of an India-Pakistan clash.

“He [Shastri] is trying to create hype. The world knows that the rivalry between India vs Pakistan is ahead of other series. Even Ashes can’t challenge the supremacy of the India-Pakistan matches. So, you will hear such statements,” Basit Ali said.

Ali also emphasized the unparalleled excitement of India-Pakistan clashes across all sports, citing the 2024 Paris Olympics as an example, where Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem won gold and Neeraj Chopra took silver.

"Arshad Nadeem beat Neeraj Chopra at the Paris Olympics, otherwise, it was a certain gold medal for India. The Indian cricket team has made it clear that they won't travel to Pakistan, so just conduct a bilateral series of hockey, javelin, or kabaddi between India and Pakistan in some other country and you will know whether the India-Australia series is bigger or the India-Pakistan match is bigger. When Neeraj and Arshdad compete in javelin, the whole world will be in front of the television and the stadium will be full," he said.

The upcoming edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will be held in Australia, with the first Test scheduled to begin on November 22 in Perth. 

As anticipation builds for this high-stakes series, cricket fans worldwide are eager to see if India can indeed achieve a historic third consecutive victory.The two nations could potentially face each other in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, hosted by Pakistan, reigniting their storied rivalry. 

With bilateral series off the table due to ongoing tensions, their last Champions Trophy encounter in 2017 saw Pakistan clinch their first title by defeating India in a memorable final.