Why it is good that the India-Pakistan series isn't happening in 2015

The Indian and Pakistani teams shake hands after their World Cup encounter at the Adelaide Oval in February earlier this year

India beat South Africa 3-0 in the Test leg of their marathon series that began in early October and finished last Monday. As the young brigade, led by Virat Kohli was shutting shop on the Proteas at the Ferozshah Kotla, there was another bit of news that was constantly keeping the Indian cricket fan glued- the possibility of a short series against Pakistan in Sri Lanka.

There has been so much talk about this series in recent times. Pakistan chief Shaharayar Khan questioning as to what the issue is for India to play in the UAE and ruling out the proposition of them playing the series here.

His counterpart from across the border, Shashank Manohar, expressing concern over playing in the UAE because of the venue having a history of match-fixing.

Finally, with both factions not resisting, an alternate option of playing the series in Sri Lanka emerged but as the week progressed, that idea also fizzled out and it now looks unlikely that we could have a series between the arch-rivals in 2015.

Indo-Pak no small affair

As cricket fans, there would certainly be a touch of disappointment that we would not be able to see these two giants play against one another this year. But as someone who has seen the game for a while, I am actually happy that there is no Indo-Pak series.

Why, you may ask? Simply because even if there was to be a shortened series , it would still leave us wanting for more and leave a sense of unfulfillment within us. Why do we all remember the 2004 series between the two even now, 11 years later?

Because the tour had everything. 5 pulsating ODIs with each of our favourite superstars- Tendulkar, Inzamam, Dravid etc putting up memorable performances, followed by three good Tests which saw Virender Sehwag light up Multan with his triple hundred, Umar Gul make a sparkling debut, claiming a five-wicket haul on debut in Lahore and then Dravid producing a masterclass that helped India win the rubber in Rawalpindi.

Every venue saw packed houses for the limited-overs series and it was a wonderful endorsement for the game. You expect such a duel from the Indo-Pak affairs, not two teams landing at a neutral venue and hastily competing in a short tour before packing their bags and heading out to a different destination.

The India-Pakistan rivalry isn't called the mother of battles for nothing. This isn't just a cricketing battle. Raw emotion comes out each time they fight it out on the pitch. Not only do the fans breathe heavily, but so do the players. There is anxiety yet excitement. Passion yet resentment. It's a conglomeration of everything that you expect from sport. An India-Pakistan series doesn't deserve just an ODI series. It is deserving of a 3 T20s, 5 ODIs and 3 Tests duel.

Keep the fan in mind

When the dates for a big series like India vs Pakistan is announced, one of the first things that a fan would do is mark out the dates in their calendar and start looking out for websites where the tickets would be available.

The fans are willing to dish out large sums of money to watch their favourite stars in action in their cities. With a curtailed series, that wouldn't happen. In fact, it would only make a deeper hole in their pockets as then they would have to make long trips to other locations to watch them play.

I am not saying that we as fans wouldn't do that, all I am saying that a shortened series wouldn't allow most of the cricketing public to take their families to venues and watch these two teams in action.

The fans deserve a proper contest, not a blink-and-you-miss encounter

The 2005 series between the two teams, which the Men in Green won 4-2, in India saw crowds flocking in at every stadium, as the visitors travelled the length and breadth of India. Imagine if that was a 3 match series, restricted to only the major cities?

The point is that the fans deserve a proper contest. They deserve to see a duel between Wahab Riaz and Virat Kohli, not just for a few limited over matches, but for a lengthy duration. At the end of the day, an India-Pakistan match should be paisa vasool stuff. It should be worth every single penny that they dish out.

No Tests, no fun

The last reason why I am happy at this series not happening is because there was no Test cricket scheduled. The modern generation may be a fan of the slam-bang T20 version of the game, but the real deal is Test Cricket.

This point is true at the present moment as well, since Pakistan are perhaps playing their best cricket in the longest format of the game. A good batting line-up that has the likes of Mohammed Hafeez, Misbah Ul-Haq and that ageless wonder Younis Khan. A potent bowling attack, which has the likes of Riaz and the ever-improving Yasir Shah against the likes of Vijay, Kohli and Rahane would make for a fascinating contest. Also not to forget, an Ashwin in the form of his life against a Younis would have been a mouth-watering prospect.

It is a pity that these two teams wouldn't be playing this year, but let’s hope that when they do resume cricketing ties it leaves each one of us enthralled and not left asking for more.