Comment: You thought India v Pakistan was just a game

The most enthralling thing about sport is the ultimate contest, greatest rivals pitted against each other.

Sport provides us with so many sensations, breathtaking moments and individuals we idol for eternity.

The feeling of competition and the emotions associated with winning and losing are all moments the participants and the onlookers cherish. There’s also that feeling of camaraderie – as teammates or supporters – when you board the team bus or make your way to the ground with friends. It’s impossible to describe the emotions when you leave the dressing room to walk onto the field, your emotions failing to be drowned by the booming sound of spectators, hammering the seats with water bottles and chanting in praise.

There’s no feeling in the world that can match that.

But as a sports fanatic, the most enthralling thing about sport is the ultimate contest, the greatest rivals pitted against each other, the foes that keep us glued to the screens and when chit-chat is only allowed during commercial breaks. The Ashes, the Manchester derby, USA versus Canada in ice hockey are some but India-Pakistan – on a cricket pitch – stands taller than the tallest. A bilateral series to be played after almost five years, that’s excitement enough to make you drool.

Let’s take a ride with the players.

The team assembles to board the bus. Kami and Umar are generally the first ones to arrive. Umar will have his earphones on and will be singing (horribly, I might add). Kami, near the front, will be welcoming each player onto the bus. There will be a huge crowd inside the lobby and surrounding the bus, all of them chanting Sachin’s name and how he’s going to score another hundred (not anymore, ofcourse) or how Zaheer Khan is going produce magical, banana-like swing.

Handshakes will be aplenty after the last ball is bowled but before that, the fierce rivalry looks set to dominate the minds. PHOTO: AFP

A bus arrives at the ground. There’s always a sense of anxiety when you see the huge crowd realise the Pakistan team has arrived. The place goes berserk. And it only gets louder, especially when it’s the Eden Gardens. Imagine the noise level with 100,000 throats going to the limit! You need to scream to be heard.

Inside the Pakistan dressing room, there’s a good mix of youth and experience. The youngsters like Junaid Khan, Haris Sohail and Zulfiqar Babar (experience, not age) will be nervous. But then there’ll be guys like Younus and Misbah with cool heads and who’ve been there before. They will be talking to the newbies before they cross the ropes. Saeed Ajmal will be cracking the occasional joke while Gully will be stretching endlessly in search of that extra pace. But as the toss happens, all eyes are looking at the captains - are we batting or fielding? That’s when the game face comes on.

The Pakistan dressing room will be geared up. The players will be ready for the battle that lies ahead. Cricket thrives on these sorts of rivalries and it’s great to see that sport can transcend the political boundaries. There’s no bigger stage to make a mark than a cricket field with India and Pakistan involved.

Good luck boys. Pakistan zindabad.

Did you know?

Pakistan have never beaten India in a Twenty20 international. The teams have played three times with India winning twice and one ending in a tie.

The writer is former fitness trainer of the Pakistan cricket team

Published in The Express Tribune, December 25^th, 2012.