October 1, 2025

The fiery cricket showdown between India and Pakistan is always a big deal to fans. But former England batter Ravi Bopara has a spicy opinion about the rivalry in the Asia Cup 2025. He says, while the emotional fire remains, the gap in skill and mindset between India and Pakistan is too big to ignore now. Bopara boldly says India doesn't see Pakistan as their toughest cricket rival anymore. "I don’t think India see Pakistan as a major threat. They might see England as a major threat. They might see Australia or New Zealand or South Africa. Pakistan will be at the bottom of that list," he said on the podcast "Beard Before Wicket." He explains how the talks inside each team's dressing room show this difference clearly. "The rivalry will be right at the top of the list, but in terms of cricketing quality, it’s different. I’m pretty sure in India’s dressing room, the talk is something like: ‘Let’s not take them too lightly today, let’s make sure we bury them.’ In Pakistan’s dressing room, it’s probably more like: ‘Hey, one of us has to have a day out today and we’ll win.’" Bopara points out that Pakistan often depends on one player to shine rather than a full team strategy. "They don’t think they’re going to out-skill India. They just hope that if someone like Fakhar Zaman has a big day, that might be enough. But India’s mindset is completely different," he added. He also praised Pakistan’s talent coming through the Pakistan Super League but noted a long transition phase holding the national team back. "It’s been going on for a very long time, actually. A very long time. But PSL has produced good players. I’ve watched guys like Shaheen Shah Afridi since he first came on the scene for Peshawar Zalmi, and they’ve improved a lot. The talent is there, but maybe it’s a discipline issue," Bopara observed. To sum up, Bopara said Pakistan is still Asia’s second-best cricket team but hasn’t been able to "get it together" regularly enough to challenge India’s might. So, while the India-Pakistan cricket battle is full of heat and passion, the playing field seems far from even these days!

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Tags: India pakistan rivalry, Asia cup 2025, Ravi bopara, Cricket mindset, Pakistani cricket, India cricket,