Ganguly switched off the India-Pakistan match and watched the Manchester Derby instead

India vs Pakistan matches in the Asia Cup have always been the center of attention. But in the eyes of former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, the thrill of that rivalry no longer exists. Following India’s seven-wicket victory over Pakistan in the group stage on Sunday, the “Prince of Kolkata” openly admitted that the gap between the two teams has widened so much that these contests no longer carry the same edge.

Winning the toss and batting first, Pakistan collapsed against India’s bowling attack, handing an easy win to a second-string Indian side missing Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Ganguly revealed that after watching just the first 15 overs, he switched off the match and turned his attention to the English Premier League clash between Manchester United and Manchester City.

Speaking to the media in Kolkata, Ganguly made it clear that the hype around India-Pakistan matches exists largely because of history, not present competitiveness,

“There is no rivalry in India-Pakistan matches anymore. We still judge Pakistan by the standards of Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, Javed Miandad, and Saeed Anwar. But those days are gone. Now, with all due respect, Pakistan is nowhere near India in comparison.”

The statistics back his words. India has won 11 of the last 14 T20 encounters between the two sides. In ODIs, Pakistan still leads overall (73 wins to India’s 58), but since the 2017 Champions Trophy final, India has won all six completed matches in one-sided fashion.

On India’s current strength, Ganguly added,

“I have seen Pakistan’s past teams. The difference in quality is massive now. Even without Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma—pillars of Indian cricket for so long—India won easily. This Indian team is far ahead of Pakistan and most other teams in the Asia Cup. Yes, they may lose occasionally, but on most days, they are the best.”

Reflecting on his own viewing experience, he admitted,

“To be honest, nothing surprised me. After 15 overs, I stopped watching and switched to Manchester United vs Manchester City instead.”

For Ganguly, India vs Pakistan contests no longer hold the same excitement. He now sees other nations as stronger rivals,

“I’d rather watch India against Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, England, Sri Lanka, or even Afghanistan. I don’t think there’s any real competition in India-Pakistan matches anymore. We hype it up, but in the last five years, it’s always ended one-sided. It’s no longer a rivalry.”

As candid as he is on the cricket field, Ganguly remains equally active off it. Recently, he was re-elected as the President of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB).