IND vs PAK, T20 World Cup 2026: "13+ Crore Views..." - Rani Rampal Questions Viewership Gap Between Cricket And Hockey | Image Source - X
Former Indian hockey captain Rani Rampal has sparked a new debate on the internet during the ongoing India vs Pakistan, T20 World Cup 2026 clash by pointing out the massive difference in viewership of cricket and hockey.
During the IND vs PAK clash, Rani Rampal took to her official X handle and shared the viewership numbers of the high-voltage clash between the arch-rivals and compared it to the attention that hockey receives. Sharing the screen grab of the ongoing match, Rani wrote, “13+ CRORE views and the match just started! People are ready to buy subscriptions for cricket. But hockey? Not even 1 LAKH views. What’s the fault? 🏏 vs 🏑 ?”
Check out her Tweet:
Rani Rampal is one of the most celebrated hockey stars of India. Hailing from Haryana, Rani made her international debut in 2008, when she was only 14-year-old and from then, there has been no looking back for her.
Over the years, Rani became one of India’s most celebrated and reliable forwards. During her glorious career, she scored more than 200 goals in over 250 international appearances.
As India’s captain for the hockey team, she led the country to several historic milestones, including India’s qualification for the 2016 Rio Olympics after a long wait of 26-years and a fourth-place finish at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which was the team’s best result. She also won medals at the Asian Games and World Cup events, and in the year 2020, she received the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, becoming the first Indian woman hockey player to earn the honour.
Meanwhile, talking about the ongoing India vs Pakistan clash, the game has sparked controversy as the captains of both teams refused to shake hands during or after the toss. Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha, who won the toss and opted to bowl first. After speaking to the broadcaster about his decision to bowl first and the team changes, Salman left without shaking hands.
After winning the toss, Pakistan captain Agha said, “It’s a big game. We all know that. But in our group we all are very, very relaxed now. And we’re just focusing on the game and we’re very excited for this challenge. Bigger ground than SSC, and the pitch is slower than SSC. But we have been playing on these kind of pitches for the last six months. So we have an idea how to play on these pitches as well.”
Talking about the team changes, Suryakumar said, “I think it’s easy to say that it’s just another game, but it is an occasion. These games are always very high stakes, but at the same time, you’ve got to know what you want to do. That’s more important. Stay in the present, back your skills, put your A game forward and be yourself.”
Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma walked out to open the innings for Team India. Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha struck early as he dismissed Abhishek Sharma for a duck. However, Ishan Kishan decided to turn the tide of the game as he smashed the Pakistani spinners all across the stadium. Ishan Kishan reached his half-century in just 27 balls, putting Team India firmly back in control.
At the other end, Tilak Varma backed him well as the duo stitched together an important partnership of 87 runs.
Kishan fell trying to attack Ayub, who then dismissed Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya in quick succession. Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube steadied things late, and Shaheen Shah Afridi conceded 15 in the final over as India finished on 175 for seven in a dramatic contest.
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