Sporting action is as much about rivalry as it is about winning and losing. There is no greater joy for fans than to see their team win against the arch-rivals. In football, the rivalry of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi has gone on to define the modern era. In Tennis, there is no bigger match than Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal up against one another and when it comes to cricket, India-Pakistan is often termed as the mother of all contests.
With the passionate fans of the both the cricketing nations always coming out in huge numbers to support their respective teams, the umpires on the field have a tough time staying alert and focused.
In an interview with ESPNCricinfo, former umpire Ian Gould talked about his experiences of officiating in an India-Pakistan cricket match.
“Given the level of support they attract, were India the hardest team to officiate?,” Gould was asked in the interview.
He replied: “It’s intimidating. Not the players. The players are outstanding people. I’ve done seven, eight India-Pakistan games and the guys are real good people. They get on with each other. If you allow a crowd to get to you, all that noise and Mexican waves, or whatever, can distract you,” he said.
“Then you start missing bits and pieces and it’s a difficult place to be. But, you know, a couple of lads, last year or two years ago, did Bangladesh-Sri Lanka and there wasn’t one seamer picked in both sides. That would have been pretty difficult,” he further added.