THE DAY ALL EYES IN INDIA AND PAKISTAN WILL BE ON DUBAI
▶ Rarely has a sporting tie on UAE soil carried as much weight in terms of national pride and bragging rights as today’s Asia Cup cricket clash – and the fans can’t wait
One of the most intense sporting rivalries on the planet is taking over the UAE – and millions of cricket lovers will be captivated by every run, catch and wicket.
India play Pakistan at Dubai International Stadium today in an Asia Cup clash that is a home fixture for nearly half the UAE’s multicultural population.
An estimated three and a half million Indians and a million Pakistanis live in the UAE, making this battle the closest the two nations will get to competing against each other on home soil.
Pakistan have played only a handful of limited-over games in their homeland in the past decade owing to safety concerns for touring teams after the 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan national cricket team.
The Asia Cup tournament was moved from India to the UAE because the would-be hosts were unable to secure government permission to allow Pakistan to play on their turf.
The two teams have not played a test series since 2007 and now meet only on neutral territory because of simmering tensions.
Today’s fixture will have greater significance because it coincides with a visit to Abu Dhabi by Imran Khan, Pakistan’s new prime minister. Mr Khan is widely recognised as one of the finest cricketers to have played the game and led his country to a Cricket World Cup triumph against the odds in 1992.
The animosity between the two countries runs far deeper than a sporting rivalry, however, dating to the violence that marked the partition of British India and the formation of India and Pakistan in 1947.
The Kashmir issue and insurgency violence compounds those divisions. The rivalry between the two nations has reached such levels that the Indian government issued a decree banning its cricket players from Pakistan for their safety.
India has refused to play series against Pakistan since 2008 but, because the teams have been drawn against each other in an official International Cricket Council event, they will meet in Dubai.
The teams played each other in the 2011 and 2015 Cricket World Cup competitions, and Pakistan scored a historic victory over their rivals in the final of the ICC Trophy in England last year.
Fans cannot wait for the next chapter.
Aiken Fonseca, 25, is an Indian cricket fan living in Abu Dhabi.
“This game means everything to us,” he said. “This is a rivalry that has been there for years, but I have no doubt that it will be played out in the true spirit of sportsmanship.”
Mr Fonseca said that while today’s match is a cricket game, the true importance of it lies much deeper.
“This is more than just a rivalry on the pitch. It goes back to when we were one and the same country. It is good to know that we are mature enough to leave the rivalry on the pitch these days though.”
He said the game being staged in Dubai makes it all the more special for the Indian community in the UAE.
“Being born here and being brought up here means there is even more intensity for this game for a lot of us.”
It will not be the first time Mr Fonseca has watched India and Pakistan on the cricket pitch.
“The last time I attended a game, there was a lot of hostility between the rival supporters of the two countries,” he said.
“There is a lot of good-natured singing and sledging aimed at the Pakistan fans, who do the same to us.”
Anuj Vankiani, 26, is another Indian cricket supporter living in Abu Dhabi.
For him, this match is as serious as rivalry gets.
“This is the only chance that India and Pakistan get to play against each other,” he said.
“Neither country is allowed to tour the other so this really is as good as it gets in terms of rivalry.”
He feels that the rivalry between the countries is good natured but, once the game starts, that all goes out of the window.
“Yes we bleed the same blood, but this is a game that nobody wants to lose.”
As the countries so seldom meet, the taste of defeat is all the more difficult to bear.
“If you are from India you will have friends from Pakistan and it works the other way round too,” he said. “You want to be able to have the bragging rights to wind up your rivals. If you don’t then you will have to listen to it for a long time.”
The game will be extra special for Mr Vankiani because it will be the first time he has attended an India-Pakistan match since the teams met in Sharjah about 17 years ago.
“At the end of the day this is a sport, but we are really going to pour our hearts out for our team. They are warriors representing our country and if you come from the subcontinent then nothing is as important as cricket. Nothing comes close.”
Cricket is the most important thing to the people of Pakistan and it is so important that we do not lose to India ZUBAIR MUHAMMAD Dubai resident
Pakistan’s fans are also getting behind their team before the game.
Shahzad Ahmed, a Pakistani-Canadian IT consultant from Abu Dhabi, is organising a barbecue for friends and family to come together and cheer on their home nation.
Mr Ahmed said there is so much passion from supporters when Pakistan and India play that it often gets emotional.
“There are always high hopes for the players and a lot of anger comes out if the players don’t perform as expected,” he said.
“In the UAE the crowd is mixed, so irrespective of which team is winning, or performing well, there will be a lot of energy and fun for those watching in the crowd at the game.”
Sheherzad Kaleem is an American of Pakistani origin who is also the head of production for the popular Urdu play Mian, Biwi Aur Wagah.
“The sense of competition is definitely more pronounced when it’s an India-Pakistan game. It becomes a battle of egos and national pride, but it’s all in good spirit,” she said.
She said that in Pakistan, the excitement is palpable.
“The experience isn’t limited to the stadium or TV and takes over the entire country.
“Even if you’re not into cricket, you still become part of the cricket fever.”
Cricket supporters in Dubai are also counting down the minutes to the game, which is taking place in their adopted home city.
“I cannot wait to see my country in action,” said Zubair Muhammad, 25.
“Cricket is the most important thing to the people of Pakistan and it is so important that we do not lose to India.”
Mr Muhammad said his country’s hopes are in the hands of captain Sarfraz Ahmed and the rest of the Pakistani side.
Tayyab Saleem, 28, is another Pakistani national living in Dubai. Like the rest of his countrymen, he is anxious for the first ball to be bowled.
“Everyone I know is talking about it,” he said. “We’re going to be there to cheer on Pakistan because it is so important.”
Nauman Ahmad, 23, who also lives in Dubai, said he did not usually follow cricket but the fact the game is against India had captured his imagination.
“I prefer football but if we beat India I will celebrate like crazy,” he said. “These are my countrymen and India versus Pakistan is the biggest game in history.”