Former Indian opening batter Gautam Gambhir believes India-Pakistan rivalry is no longer the most enticing rivalry in the sport, given how the Men in Blue have dominated the arch-rivals in recent times. Instead, Gambhir reckons the rivalry between India and Australia has taken its place and is optimistic that all fans think alike.
Due to the political tensions between India and Pakistan, the two nations haven't played in a bilateral series since 2012-13. While they have faced off in the ICC events and Asia Cup, the contests have mostly been lopsided in India's favour. Pakistan's only World Cup win over India also came during the 2021 T20 World Cup in Dubai.
Speaking in a show on Hotstar, Gambhir reckons Pakistan's victory over India in any format in the current era is a massive upset.
"Pakistan has dominated India a lot of times. Currently, if you see the level of both teams, India is far superior to Pakistan in all three formats. If Pakistan defeats India it's an upset, if India defeats Pakistan, it's very much given. India and Australia, from a cricketing point of view, is a top rivalry. If you ask a cricket fan what is the actual rivalry, they will also say India and Australia."
India beat Australia in both ICC events in 2023:
Australia indeed proved to be a tough proposition in 2023, beating the sub-continent giants in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final, followed by the 2023 World Cup final at the gigantic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Travis Head proved to be the chief destroyer on both occasions, hitting 163 in the first innings of WTC final and 137 in Ahmedabad. However, India haven't lost a Test series to Australia both home and away since the 2014-15 leg.
