Whenever the discussion about India and Pakistan arises, there’s often an image of swords being drawn from both countries, and the discussion of the limited events like Javed Miandad-Kiran More, Shahid Afridi-Gautam Gambhir, Kamran Akmal-Gambhir, and Amir Sohail-Venkatesh Prasad incidents happens. However, there’s another side to the picture where it seems that players and people from both countries are quite friendly. This has been seen not just once or twice, but many times. When Team India won the 1983 World Cup, even the Pakistan team led by Imran Khan couldn’t resist celebrating alongside and Pakistani players danced all night. Similarly, when Pakistan became champions in the 1992 World Cup, Indian players also actively participated in Pakistan’s celebrations. Remember the 1999 Chennai Test, despite Sachin’s century Indian team lost. But Chennai cricket enthusiasts praised Saqlain Mushtaq, Wasim Akram, and Waqar Younis’ bowling, and the Chennai crowd gave a standing ovation to the Pakistani team, showcasing their sportsmanship. Similarly, in the 2006 Lahore One-Day, the trio of Sachin, Yuvraj, and Dhoni led India to victory, and the people of Pakistan dances with Indian players on the streets of Lahore to celebrate india’s victory. Babar Azam’s cover drive incident with Virat Kohli and the gesture of consoling after T20 World Cup, despite India’s team loss, made him quite popular in Pakistan. Similarly, a few years back, Virat handed his bat to Mohammad Amir. Cricket has indeed played a significant role in bringing both countries closer. That’s why Imran and Akram are admired in India, and Sachin, Virat, and Rohit Sharma have a significant fan base in Pakistan.
