Actor and comedian Kumail Nanjiani is a self-confessed cricket nerd and has always been open about his deep, emotional connection with Pakistan cricket.
Speaking on ‘The Grade Cricketer’ podcast, Nanjiani
shared his views on supporting Pakistan, especially when India is involved. Nanjiani candidly admitted that watching Pakistan face India has become increasingly painful, not just because of defeats, but due to how strong and stable Indian cricket now appears in comparison.
“Pakistan has been on the receiving end of the bashing, and it’s been very, very difficult to watch, because India’s undeniably, you know, one of the best teams in the world,” Kumail Nanjiani said on ‘The Grade Cricketer’.
He noted that India’s dominance is no accident. A robust IPL structure, depth in all-rounders, and clear planning have made them one of the world’s best teams.
“I think their IPL system is very, very strong. They have a lot of great all-rounders, and I know the T20 World Cups coming up, and I’m still, for me, what’s bothering me is I still don’t have a good sense of what our squad is going to look like,” he said.
In contrast, Pakistan, as he described, often looks like “a dog’s breakfast.”
Despite this, Nanjiani believes Pakistan cricket is unmatched in one aspect: unpredictability. “If you’re a fan of comedy and cricket, there is no better team to follow than the Pakistan cricket team,” he joked, summing up the wild highs and crushing lows that define it.
Nanjiani also reflected on how India-Pakistan matches have changed. Growing up in the 1990s, he remembers fierce rivalry without hatred.
“India, Pakistan games when I was growing up in the 90s, like fueled with this sense of like hatred. I suppose you know, like, there’s definitely rivalry, always rivalry, but there’s like an anger to it,” he said.
“Our countries had issues, but we always understood that culturally. And you know, we’re like, very, very similar. We were the same country not too long ago, and so I obviously we wanted India to win, but it never felt like it got to the level that it is now,” he added.
