India, Feb. 23 -- The recent India-Pakistan T20 clash was more than a match; it was a saga that has transcended time. It brought back memories of the traditional rivalry on the cricket field, reminding us that sports, and indeed life, is only as electric as the friction across the pitch. My mind drifts back to 1986. We were teenagers huddled around shuttered television sets, rooting for India in the Australasia Cup final at Sharjah. Despite the grainy visuals and the intermittent boredom of dour Doordarshan news bulletins, we were mesmerised. We watched the Little Master (Sunil Gavaskar) take on the fire of Imran Khan and Wasim Akram. Just as we thought the match was in the bag, Javed Miandad snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with that infamous last-ball six. While millions on our side of the Radcliffe Line sank into shock, those across it erupted in joy. On that fateful day, cricket was the true winner, enriched by the sheer rivalry of the contest. The annals of the game are replete with such rivalries. The searing pace of Harold Larwood against the batting genius of Don Bradman in the Bodyline series still stirs the blood. Then there was the guile of Michael Holding versus Gavaskar, the wizardry of Shane Warne against the gritty Mike Gatting, and the raw menace of Shoaib Akhtar facing a gifted Sachin Tendulkar. Beyond the pitch, the tennis courts of the 1980s gave us the flamboyant John McEnroe, all razor-sharp volleys and temper, clashing with the ice-cool baseline grit of Bjorn Borg. They pushed each other to heights neither could have reached alone. Similarly, the marathon rivalry between Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert defined women's tennis for over a decade. Even our ordinary lives are scripted with rivalries. I fondly recall a school classmate who was my constant rival for the first rank in academics and inter-house competitions. That rivalry was a stimulant, driving us to excel and not settle for mediocrity. Today, the fading competitive edge of the India-Pakistan rivalry saddens me. While our winning streak is gratifying, the game misses that down-to-the-wire thrill. Healthy rivalry is a shot of caffeine for the soul, provided it remains constructive, it is the very thing that keeps us awake and soaring....