Nerves and Composure

Despite remaining the central load-bearing pillar of modern cricket, especially in revenue and viewership, the Pakistan-India clash has long ceased to be a cricketing contest that truly enthrals neutrals and followers of the sport. Pakistan, once dominant in the head-to-head, now trails far behind the cricketing giant that is India, as shown in recent meetings where Pakistan not only loses but often does so in spectacular fashion that defies logic. It is difficult to comprehend how a team that performs strongly against other nations, excels in bilateral series and longer formats, suddenly loses the ability to perform whenever it faces India in ICC and other major tournaments.

For years this could be dismissed as the infamous unpredictability of Pakistan cricket, a notion we perhaps held onto to explain inconsistency and even romanticise it. Yet the consistency of defeat now suggests something else. There is no clear cricketing reason why top players abruptly stop performing against India. There is no obvious explanation for a side that competes effectively against most opponents repeatedly faltering here, while smaller teams with fewer stars manage to challenge India more convincingly.

The question increasingly appears to be one of temperament, nerves, confidence and the ability to function under pressure. The magnitude of the occasion seems to overwhelm the players. The rare victories have come in finals or tournaments where Pakistan entered written off entirely, when expectation itself had vanished.

Perhaps the need now is less about extended net sessions and more about mental resilience and fortitude. Nothing else adequately explains the recurring collapses that have drained the joy from what was once a close, compelling rivalry and reduced it to a one-sided spectacle that is increasingly difficult to watch.

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