The inaugural India-Pakistan encounter in men's cricket for the year 2025 is scheduled for February 23 in Dubai during the ICC Champions Trophy. Anticipation for this highly awaited match intensified on Wednesday following the release of the trailer for the much-anticipated documentary, The Greatest Rivalry: India vs. Pakistan, on Netflix. Although the series is set to premiere on the streaming platform on February 7, it has already elicited responses from former competitors.

In the two-minute and thirteen-second clip shared by Netflix on social media, former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly reflects on the 1996 Friendship Cup, which took place in Canada, a neutral ground. He noted that 'friendship' was merely a label associated with the series, as it was not a sentiment that occupied the minds of Indian players while facing Shoaib Akhtar's 150 km/h deliveries.

He remarked, “It was a Friendship tour only in name, but when Shoaib Akhtar is going to bowl at 150 kilometres an hour, where is the friendship in that?”

Shoaib Akhtar highlighted this segment of the trailer, reposting it on X, formerly known as Twitter, and offered a gracious response to Ganguly, expressing admiration for the Indian cricket icon.

He stated: “Dada @SGanguly99 you're awesome. Indian cricket is incomplete without you.”

The Friendship Cup, an annual five-match ODI series, took place in Canada in 1996 and continued in 1997 and 1998. It is important to note that while Ganguly participated in all three editions, Akhtar did not take part in any of them.

'The Greatest Rivalry: India vs Pakistan'

The trailer commenced with former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag describing the rivalry as ‘more than just a game.’ Subsequently, notable figures such as Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar and Inzamam-ul-Haq, along with Indian legends Sourav Ganguly, Sunil Gavaskar, and Shikhar Dhawan, shared their personal experiences of participating in this historic contest over the years.

Netflix presented the promotional material with the caption: “The biggest rivalry told by the legends who lived it. Immerse yourself in a narrative of passion, glory, and cricket’s most intense rivalry in The Greatest Rivalry: India vs Pakistan, premiering on 7 February, exclusively on Netflix.”

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