File photo of Arshad Nadeem and Neeraj Chopra.© PTI
It's been more than week since Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem pipped Neeraj Chopra of India to claim the men's javelin throw gold medal at the Paris Olympics 2024. Nadeem broke the Olympic record with a monstrous throw of 92.97m, and followed it up with another 91.79m throw in his final attempt. Defending champion Neeraj, on the other hand, could only manage 89.45m which saw him miss out on gold and had to settle for a silver. Meanwhile, former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has compared the rivalry between Arshad and Neeraj to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
For the unversed, the Border Gavaskar Trophy is a cricket bilateral series played between India and Australia. India have won the last four Border-Gavaskar Trophies, including two back-to-back wins Down Under.
Both teams are set to square off once again later this year when India will be travelling to Australia to play five Tests.
While speaking on his YouTube channel, Basit recalled the Men's Javelin Throw final at Paris 2024, claiming that Arshad's rivalry with Neeraj is now even bigger than the Border-Gavaskar trophy.
"I think they are trying to create hype. The whole world knows that India vs Pakistan is on one side and everything else is on the other side. Even Ashes isn't that big. So, you are going to hear such statements now," Basit said on his YouTube channel.
Basit even claimed that regardless of the venue, there will always be a full house wherever Neeraj and Arshad compete.
"Arshad Nadeem beat Neeraj Chopra at the Paris Olympics; otherwise, it was a certain gold medal for India. The Indian cricket team has made it clear that they won't travel to Pakistan, so just conduct a bilateral series of hockey, javelin, or kabaddi between India and Pakistan in some other country, and you will know whether the India-Australia series is bigger or the India-Pakistan match is bigger. When Neeraj and Arshad compete in javelin, the whole world will be in front of the television, and the stadium will be full," he added.
Nadeem's gold was Pakistan's first after 40 years since the men's team won it in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.