'Sledging during India-Pakistan match is at a different level': Virender Sehwag ahead of Asia Cup 2022 match between arch-rivals

The India-Pakistan clash is one of cricket’s greatest rivalries and every encounter is highly-charged. The intensity and the pressure tend to get the better of the players.

India and Pakistan face off in the Asia Cup 2022 on August 28. It is expected to be an intense battle as Men in Blue will look to avenge their loss to their arch-rivals in the T20 World Cup last year.

And the environment is expected to get heated on the field with players resorting to sledging in the process to get an upper hand.

Former India batsman Virender Sehwag highlighted the fact that the though the rivalry between the two nations is highly-competitive, the sledging can get to another level.

“The India-Pakistan rivalry is always entertaining and competitive. It is always eagerly awaited whether it is fans in India, Pakistan or world over. Just like the rivalry between England and Australia, it is similar between India and Pakistan. But the common factor is the language, which is Hindi. Players abuse in Hindi and the level is altogether different which cannot be described,” Sehwag told Star Sports.

“Sometimes sledging can get to a level where you hurt an individual. Sometimes it gets so serious where you start abusing each other,” the opener added.

Revealing an incident, which apparently did not cross the line, Sehwag said: “During a Test match in 2004 against Pakistan in which I scored a triple-ton (309 in Multan), Shoaib Akhtar was bowling bouncer after bouncer. He constantly kept telling me to play a hook shot. I told him to tell the batsman at the non-striker’s end. And when Sachin Tendulkar came to bat, he hooked Akhtar for a six. In a fun way I told him baap baap hota hain, beta beta hota hain. Bete ko sambhal kar rehana chahiye,” Sehwag said.