India-Pakistan: Cricket builds bridges at Dubai’s ICC Academy grounds

The ongoing Asia Cup in the UAE, whether one likes it or not, boils down to that one match more often than not. Yes, one is talking about India-Pakistan, though there have been the odd cliffhangers that have kept you on the edge of your seats.

It’s with this in mind that the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has tweaked the groupings in such a manner that India and Pakistan are almost certain to clash in the Super Four on Sunday (September 4) – and if things go as per script – they may meet for a third time in the final again on September 11. Overkill? Well, there is no such thing in a Indo-Pak contest and it’s the box office formula which the International Cricket Council (ICC) has also embraced for it’s World Cups for more than a decade.

The first group game this time may have gone India’s way in a thriller, but it’s being seen as the Men in Blue getting even after their rout in the last T20 World Cup in Dubai – with a bigger battle yet to be fought over the next 10 days. However, the biggest takeaway of the tournament for me had been how some of the top stars of the rivals across the border have shown once again that it’s just a game – where the likes of a Virat Kohli or Babar Azam are members of the global cricket community above all.

Just think about the run-up to their first game last Sunday. The ICC Academy grounds – less than 200 metres away from the state-of-the-art Dubai International Stadium which wears the look of a cauldron during the big game – once again became the melting point of the global cricketing elite like the last two years.

How are you, Shaheen?

The most endearing visual had been a longish video clip which shows Shaheen Afridi, sitting with his right leg in a cast (he is missing the tournament due to a knee ligament injury) near the white fences at one of the Oval Academy grounds, standing up to be greeted by the likes of Kohli, Yuzvendra Chahal and Rishabh Pant. The strapping left-arm fast bowler, who singlehandedly destroyed India in the last World T20, was seen individually updating about his injury as Afridi then told the former Indian skipper that he would seek ‘dua’ (blessings) from Allah so that the premier batsman gets back into vintage form again.

There was another interaction – this time between Indian skipper Rohit Sharma and his counterpart Azam – where the former advised Azam in zest to ‘get married’ as the latter is one of the most eligible bachelors across the border. Heartwarming scenes this, despite the fact that the current generation of players from these two neighbouring countries get a chance to interact only during the multi-nation tournaments as they don’t engage in bi-lateral cricketing ties because of political reasons while Pakistan players don’t get a call-up in the IPL either.

Kohli, who returned to international cricket after a longish break to take his mind off the game, looks to be in a good mental space on this trip to Dubai and had been playing the role of the elder statesman for Indian cricket to the hilt. Thanks to the social media again, it was rather touching to see Kohli making the day for a differently abled Pakistan girl, who came in a wheelchair to attend the practice session of the teams.

The master batsman, whom Azam famously wished a return to form in July on Twitter, was effusive is his praise about the in-form Pakistan captain when he said he was currently the ‘best batsman’ across all formats. A spontaneous gesture – though cricket history tells you that the superstars of these two countries (right from the days of Sunil Gavaskar and Imran Khan) had often formed the biggest mutual admiration societies for each other most often than not.

The master batsman, whom Azam famously wished a return to form in July on Twitter, was effusive is his praise about the in-form Pakistan captain when he said he was currently the ‘best batsman’ across all formats. A spontaneous gesture – though cricket history tells you that the superstars of these two countries (right from the days of Sunil Gavaskar and Imran Khan) had often formed the biggest mutual admiration societies for each other most often than not.

The stark reality of life, however, is that sport and politics were never separate entities. Certainly not, when it comes to the backdrop of cricket diplomacy between the two countries where the sport has been used as convenient tool by leaders of both countries. If the two countries square off again in a few days’ time, don’t expect there will certainly be no quarters given – none asked for.

However, as long as the mutual respect between players of either country remains of the highest order, there is hope for us!