In 2007, the Pakistani cricket team visited India for a series. The then President of the BCCI, Sharad Pawar, hosted a dinner for both teams. Among the guests was Nasli Wadia, the grandson of Pakistan’s founding father Muhammad Ali Jinnah. The Pakistani team refused to eat until Nasli Wadia arrived, and once he did, they welcomed him and enjoyed the dinner together. Nasli Wadia’s son, Nusli Wadia, later became a co-owner of the Punjab Kings team. Similarly, during India’s tour of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf hosted a dinner for both teams. He spent a lot of time with the players and created a friendly atmosphere. In his book, “My Years in the BCCI,” Ratanakar Shetty, a cricket enthusiast associated with the BCCI, mentioned this event. He wrote about the humorous jokes shared by players of both teams during this time, which helped create a positive and friendly environment. In the same vein, there are anecdotes about the camaraderie between Indian and Pakistani players. For instance, Harbhajan Singh shared a story on the Kapil Sharma show about how he bought shawls for his mother and sisters in Lahore but couldn’t pay for them as the shopkeepers refused to take money. Shoaib Akhtar also mentioned that during India’s tours to Pakistan in 2004 and 2006, fans could witness Indian and Pakistani flags together on the streets. There’s also the story of Harris Rauf, who was bowling in the Indian nets in Australia before he got a chance to play for the Pakistan team. He bowled to KL Rahul during net sessions, and his pace caught the attention of Hardik Pandya, who jokingly told him that he would play for Pakistan one day. Harris Rauf even took a picture with Virat Kohli during that net session. Among the fans, Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli have the most fans following in Pakistan, while in India, young left-handed players practicing in academies, like Wasim Akram, aspire to become like them. In terms of cricket diplomacy, India and Pakistan have co-hosted the World Cup events. The Reliance World Cup was co-hosted by both countries in 1987, and then they jointly hosted the 1996 World Cup along with Sri Lanka. This collaboration showed that cricket could bring the two nations together in a unique way.
