The India–Pakistan cricket rivalry is one of the great sporting rivalries of the world; something that cricket lovers have missed sorely in recent times. So when the arch rivals faced each other on the cricket field after a long gap, everyone was cheering. This was a part of the ongoing Asia Cup 2018, in the UAE; featuring India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Hong Kong and UAE.
The tournament was to be hosted in India, however it was shifted to the UAE because of political tensions between India and Pakistan. The clash between the two took place at the Dubai International Stadium. Many cricket fans were hugely grateful for this and it was a packed house at the world class Dubai venue.
India managed to restrict the Pakistani batsmen to just 162 runs, getting all their batsmen out in just over 43 overs. The Pak players looked inexperienced and out of sorts in contrast to the seasoned, confident Indian campaigners.
The Indian batsmen romped home in just 29 overs, losing just two wickets. India simply outclassed Pak in all departments; never once losing their tight grip on the game.
This joke has been doing the rounds on social media since India won so comprehensively. It was one of the first things I saw when I checked WhatsApp this morning.
The easy camaraderie between the players of the two sides, the exchange of simple courtesies such as the tying of shoe laces by Yuzvendra Chahal for a player of the other team did not go unnoticed or unappreciated.
The Indian openers Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan made a watchful start, but Rohit Sharma was soon in full flow. He got to 52 in just 39 balls hitting 6 boundaries and heaving 3 over the fence.
Bashir Chacha or Chacha Chicago is one of the best known Pak cricket fans. He sponsored another cricket fan; Sudhir Gautam an Indian who claims to be Sachin Tendulkar's biggest fan. He took care of the airfare and other expenses!
Hardik Pandya was injured bowling a delivery in his fifth over. He collapsed during his follow-through and was unable to get back up. He had to be taken off the field on a stretcher and is ruled out of the rest of the tournament.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar took 3 wickets while giving away just 15 runs. Kedar Jadhav notched up figures of 3/23 while Jasprit Bumrah took two wickets giving just 23 runs.
When India wins, Indian fans strut around as though they personally wielded the willow that scored each run. Similarly a loss means grief of epic proportions, railing and ranting against the cricket players and unsolicited advice from each fan who imagines themselves an expert. It was a humiliating defeat for Pakistan; obviously the reactions would be extreme.
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