Ramiz Raja recalls advice to players for IND v PAK contests

Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ramiz Raja revealed the advice he gave to players for Pakistan’s games against India.

During a recent interview, the former captain said that Pakistan did well against India during his tenure as the PCB chairman as he highlighted the importance of beating India in tournaments.

“When I was the chairman, I used to tell the team all the time, until or unless you beat India or be competitive against them, the world will not recognise you. That is the landmark. They did reasonably well for about a year, year and a half. Then the general turbulence that the country is going through is being reflected in the performance of the team,” Ramiz Raja added.

Pakistan and India have not played a Test since 2007/08 and a bilateral series in any format since 2012/13 due to the long-standing political tensions between the two neighbouring countries.

The fierce rivals, however, only come face to face in multi-national events like Asia Cup and ICC World Cups.

During Raja’s tenure as the PCB chief, Pakistan defeated India for the first time in any World Cup in a game of T20 World Cup 2021.

Emphasising the importance of Pakistan-India contests for the sport, Ramiz Raja said that former cricketers from both countries should work for revival of bilateral cricket between Pakistan and India.

“Ex-cricketers need to understand the value of an India-Pakistan contest. Fans should not be missing the spectacle. It’s our job to say that let’s put politics to one side and play cricket because it will benefit the world. We need a stronger, positive vibe surrounding the issue. The onus is on Indian ex-cricketers and Pakistani ex-cricketers to make it happen,” he added.

Pakistan and India last came head-to-head in the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2024 where the Men in Green were defeated by six runs.

They are likely to face each other in the upcoming Champions Trophy, set to be hosted by Pakistan.