Friendly sports: Different game, same result

The cricketers came, saw and conquered, and had fun along the way. The hockey players aren’t far behind. When India’s junior hocke...

The cricketers came, saw and conquered, and had fun along the way. The hockey players aren’t far behind. When India’s junior hockey team returns home from here, they will be carrying, along with the Junior Asia Cup they won today, a bagful of memories — and piles of CDs and DVDs — of a landmark trip here.

‘‘It’s just like home. Though none of us has ever toured Pakistan before, the country, its people and environment don’t seem at all new for us’’, said Indian junior captain Sandeep Michael, admitting the players had misconceptions about Pakistan.

‘‘Since we had never come to Pakistan, we had some fears. But not being recognised by the public can sometimes prove a blessing — and even when someone got to know our identity they spread their arms to welcome us,” said team coach Harendra Singh.

Story continues below this ad

Singh’s parents had migrated to India from Peshawar but he didn’t get a chance to visit his birthplace. ‘‘May be next time. This tour has opened the way and we hope that bilateral hockey starts once again so that we get opportunities for people-to-people contact like we had on the cricket tour,” he said.

What they had was the opportunity to shop — and they did. The main attraction was CDs of Mehdi Hassan’s ghazals and Nusrat Fateh Ali’s qawwalis. Some bought fabric and bangles for sisters or companions, some leather jackets for their own comfort. Penalty corner expert Sandeep Singh led the players’ shopping spree with over 25 CDs of Nusrat and others. ‘‘Relaxing at home to the sounds of Nusrat’s songs — that’s enough to keep me happy’’, he said.

Though the players were reportedly a little uncomfortable with the late-night dinners, team manager Ramachandran said they were looking forward to another tour of Pakistan. ‘‘We are looked after so well here that all the players want to be part of another tour.’’

Off the field, just like with the Indo-Pak cricketers, players share vibes and are very cordial. ‘‘They (Indians) are like our brothers and off the field there are no hostilities, though on the pitch we are bound to be hostile’’, said Pakistan captain Shakil Abbasi, whose parents are from Jallandhar.

Story continues below this ad

And on an official dinner Wednesday night, both teams showed remarkable unity by sitting with each other. “Pakistan and India are two great nations and they cannot be kept apart by anyone,” said Pakistan coach Asif Bajwa.