TimesofIndia.com in Dubai: The India-Pakistan contest is where legends are made and hearts are broken. Beyond sheer skill, it’s the temperament, nerves and the ability to seize defining moments that decide the victor.
Every duel on the field is a battle within a battle. The captains,
Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Ali Agha, have already hinted that their teams will play with fire.
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Pakistan cricketers have already sharpened their swords. Shoaib Akhtar, on PTV Sports, said: "Emotions are running really high, we are meeting India post-war."
However, in Dubai there is no such animosity in the air.
Mohammad Shehzad, who hails from Multan, has been working as a cricket coach at the ICC Cricket Academy for the past decade. He proudly calls himself "Multan ka Sultan" and is adored by his students.
"Yahaan India-Pakistan bhai bhai hai (There is no animosity here between Indians and Pakistanis). We live here like one community. Most of my students at the academy are Indians. For most, I am Shehzad chacha, chachu or sometimes chax also," he laughs, while finishing his dinner around 10 pm (Dubai local time) at the ICC Cricket Academy.
He says that in the past, India-Pakistan matches were not ideal for the faint-hearted, but now he feels this match could turn out to be a one-sided affair.
"We are no longer cornered tigers. I think India are too strong a side. I am afraid it will be one-sided," he says.
Shehzad is also responsible for arranging fast bowlers for the team’s training at the ICC Academy, and most of the fast bowlers he gets are from Pakistan.
One of them, Sufiyan, from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, was also having dinner, and he politely disagrees with Shehzad.
"Babar ko drop kar ke bahut badi galti kar di hai (By dropping Babar, they have committed a big mistake)," he quips.
Razzaq, another fast bowler from Bahawalpur, chimes in: "Let's finish our dinner, we need to catch the shuttle for Sharjah." He, however, disagrees with his friend: "We are better without Babar."
Shehzad, smiling and offering biryani to this reporter, reveals the struggle of the Pakistani expat.
"It’s tough for them. Both of them work as security guards in Dubai Mall in the morning. In the evening, they come here to train. Cricket is in their veins. There are many like them who have played cricket at U-19 level in Pakistan and after that had to quit or move abroad to earn money," he says.
India are clearly going into the match as favourites. Will the Salman Ali Agha-led team, well known as cricket’s perpetual "cornered tigers," be able to turn the tables against the mighty Indians?
On paper, it looks like one-way traffic, but one can never take the Pakistan cricket team lightly.
The current bunch of cricketers have been denounced, rejected and ridiculed. The selectors, coaches and captains have been changed in recent times like a game of musical chairs.
Saim Ayub, one of the brightest stars in the current Pakistan side, is taking the India match like any other game. "It is going to be a big match for the people. We do not see it like this as a team. We see that we follow the same process day by day in the next match," he told reporters after Pakistan’s convincing 93-run win over Oman in Dubai.
The youngster also pointed out that this team does not bother about the past.
"I think this is the message of our team management for the last 3-4 months. The most important thing is to learn from the past and move forward. We don’t want to remember the past and don’t want to focus too much on the future," he said.
"Memories do not matter. This tournament matters the most.
"We are not just looking forward to the Pakistan-India match. We are looking forward to winning the tournament," he added.
Saim is fearless, an enigma the greats of the game can’t stop talking about. But the burning question remains: can he transform raw talent into timeless greatness? And what grander stage to script that destiny than under the blinding lights of a showdown against the arch-rivals?
Brace yourself, we will get all the answers on Sunday.
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