ALKHOBAR, 10 April 2005 — Much to the relief of Pakistani cricket fans, Pakistan beat India yesterday to keep the interest alive in the six on-day series.
“It was a well deserved victory. Everyone played like a team, unlike India who crumbled in the first 15 overs and never looked like the champions they are.” These sentiments were echoed by Minnie, a Pakistani fan. “India must stop relying on one man. It seems when Sehwag does not perform, nobody does. In the past too, India banked heavily on Sachin Tendulkar and if he failed so did India. But I’m glad that Indians played like they did. Otherwise the series would be one sided.”
Indian supporter, Shabana said that Jamshedpur seems to be a lucky ground for Pakistan. “India’s performance was very disappointing, but I am very confident that they will bounce back and win the series. I think Pathan’s batting made the score a bit respectable. If a tailender could bat, why couldn’t the big wigs? I would like to add a word about the unruly Bihari crowd. I’m from Bihar myself and I think we should have shown better hospitality. Throwing objects at Pakistani players and pelting their bus with stones were the acts of a minority. Bihar is not like that and we do appreciate the growing friendship between India and Pakistan and hope that its not a honeymoon which will be over.”
Samar, a Pakistani supporter was a bit skeptic. “Pakistan won, but we still have the opening problem intact. Our openers failed again. I also feel whoever wins the toss, wins the match. It’s a battle of nerves really. The pitches are batting friendly. Whoever wins the toss, amasses a large total and puts the chasing team under pressure and the opposition usually crumbles. So though my team won, I’m praying that we continue to win the toss.”
“I knew Mahendar Singh Dhoni would not perform today because he had too much pressure playing on his home ground and also it would be difficult to outperform his previous feat of 146. He drinks 16 glasses of milk per day. Hope that consoles him tonight. And I am glad to see that India is playing captain Sourav Ganguly. As long as he stays out of form, its one less player to contend with. But if Pakistan wants to win this series, they better do something about Shahid Afridi. It would be better if he was a bit ‘afraidi’ and played sensibly.” These sentiments were expressed by a Pakistani supporter who did not wish to be identified.
Shahid Afridi was out cheaply, “but there was Salman Butt” as the cricket commentator said. Actually there was Rana Naveed ul-Hasan. His 6 wickets for 27 runs turned the tables on India. The next match in Ahmedabad on April 12 will be a real test for Pakistan. The home crowd advantage will be tilted totally in India’s favor as Gujarat is known for its hostility toward Pakistan.
