By Ivashree
Some emotions never fade, no matter where life takes you. For Unmukt Chand, the former U-19 World Cup winning captain now playing his cricket in the United States, an India Pakistan match still feels like home.
“I may be playing overseas now, but my heart still beats for India when it comes to an India Pakistan match,” Chand said recently. “These are the kind of games you grow up watching as a kid, and the emotion never leaves you.”
It has been more than a decade since Chand played that unforgettable knock of an unbeaten 111 in the 2012 U-19 World Cup final in Townsville, a performance that crowned him as India’s next big thing. Today, his career has taken him across continents from domestic cricket in India to the Los Angeles Knight Riders in Major League Cricket. Yet, his connection to Indian cricket remains deeply personal.
That connection feels especially poignant with the Asia Cup 2025 reaching its most-anticipated fixture, India vs Pakistan. The numbers tell their own story. India have won 12 of their last 15 T20 internationals and hold the upper hand against Pakistan in global tournaments, with victories in 8 of 12 T20 meetings. But for Chand, the rivalry is about more than stats.
“India has the depth, the experience and now a fearless brand of cricket,” he said. “But beyond all that, the India Pakistan game is about nerves. Whoever holds longer usually wins.”
For fans, that sentiment rings true. These matches, often lasting just a few hours, carry the weight of decades of history, emotion, and rivalry , for Chand who once carried the hopes of a nation as a teenager still stirred something deep inside.
His story is also a reminder of how cricket travels with its people. Even as he dons USA colours and builds his career abroad, his voice adds to the chorus of millions who will be glued to their screens when the two sides meet.
Unmukt Chand may no longer wear India’s blue jersey but when India takes on Pakistan, he is like every other fan right there, heart in hand.