An India vs Pakistan match and that too in the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament is always an occasion for cricket lovers as well as those associated with the sport to express their love and creativity for what is widely regarded as Cricket's greatest rivalry. Over the years, we have seen a number of campaigns and creatives that look to capitalise on the hype surrounding an India vs Pakistan match at the World Cup. However, Make My Trip, an online Indian travel company, came under fire from several quarters and netizens who questioned its latest "An Open Invitation To Pakistan Fans" copy. Users on X criticised the brand's ad copy looking for 'stereotyping' the epic rivalry.
"As an Indian, I want to apologize to every Pakistani person for this @makemytrip ad. This does not represent Indian values. It only represents the worst among us," said a journalist on X (formerly Twitter).
"The stereotyping using beards, the intentional grammatical errors. There’s nothing good about this. I hope the people who worked on this regret this some day. You’ll get a lot of support from the hateful social media crowd. Don’t mistake engagement for accomplishment," the user said in a scathing comment on X.
"I agree with your sentiment, Rahul. But it does represent dominant Indian values, methinks," replied another user on the platform.
Former Indian cricketer Virendra Sehwag also shared the ad and praised it for its "play" on the topic. "Well played, MMT," said Sehwag in his appreciation post on X.
However, an X user commented on Sehwag's approval of the Make My Trip ad and said, "Worse is ex Indian players glorifying it. Cringe."
8th India vs Pakistan match at ICC CWC tournaments
Saturday's highly anticipated encounter between India and Pakistan in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 will be the eight time that the arch-rivals will be taking on each other. India has never lost to Pakistan in the ODI World Cup out of all the seven times the teams have clashed at Crickets' biggest tournament.
Both teams have won their two matches in the ongoing World Cup so far. While Babar Azam led Pakistan will look to change that record, India is confident going into the game courtesy current form and its record against the neighbours in the World Cup.
