You must know that in the world of cricket, the teams from India and Pakistan are regarded as fierce rivals. When an Ind-Pak match is planned, the supporters go insane. Applause erupted everywhere when the Men in Blue were announced as the 2025 Champions Trophy winners. When asked, “Who is the better team?” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently opened out and expressed his opinions.
Virat Kohli’s century helped the Indian side defeat Pakistan by six wickets in the 2025 Champions Trophy group stage, which gave the team’s supporters a break. As evidence of their superior play on the pitch, Team India has a record of more victories than their neighbour. According to reports, Pakistan has only defeated India twice in the 2021 T20 World Cup group stage and once in the ICC event (in the 2017 Champions Trophy finals).
When asked to select the superior squad, how did PM Modi react?
PM Modi was questioned about the well-known cricket rivalry between India and Pakistan and whose squad is superior during an interview with US-based podcaster Lex Fridman.
Before expressing his opinion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave considerable attention to the rivalry between India and Pakistan in cricket. He stated on the Lex Fridman program,
“I think sports have the power to energise the entire world. The spirit of sports brings people across nations together. That’s why I would never want sports to get discredited. I truly believe sports play a major role in human evolution. They’re not just games; they connect people on a deeper level.
“Now coming to the question of who’s better or not. When it comes to the techniques of the game, I’m not an expert. Only those who specialise in it can be the judge of it. They can only decide which team is the best and which players are the best. But sometimes, the results speak for themselves. Just a few days ago, India and Pakistan played a match and the result revealed who was the better team. That’s how we know”
When asked who he believes to be the greatest football player of all time, PM Modi said Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona. In the history of the game, the Argentinians are regarded as the best. According to PM Modi,
“It is absolutely true that many regions in India have a strong football culture. Our women’s football team is performing really well, and our men’s team is progressing really well. If we talk about the past, in the 1980’s, one name that always stood out was Diego Maradona. For that generation, he was seen as a true hero and if you ask today’s generation they’ll immediately say Lionel Messi”
Here is the video
The sports industry in the nation expanded during PM Modi’s leadership. India may be able to host the 2036 Olympics because of its aspirations to become a sporting nation.
Although this is PM Modi’s second podcast participation, it is his first on a podcast with a global celebrity host. He co-founded Zerodha with Nikhil Kamath and was featured on a podcast earlier this year.
How do you feel about PM Modi’s remark? Tell us in the comments section.
