What to expect from an India-Pakistan cricket match?

Even if it may be the initial stages of football world cup and the world is busy watching it and even if the best footballs are made in Pakistan, the Asia Cup encounter between the two traditional rivals’ viz. India and Pakistan, will make the adrenaline flow upwards in both countries. The simple reason behind it is, A - the teams are meeting after a long gap and B - some of the best players (Sehwag, Shoaib) are back in team. The Cricket itself is played with at most intensity as the atmosphere is heated pre and post match. No doubt this game is a religion followed by the divine fans of both countries.

For some it may seem to be just another cricket match played on a neutral venue, but for others like us it is an event of extreme importance and we make sure that our team doesn’t lack the moral support.

Historically it has been found that the players who have risen against each other have made it to the top of the International cricket. They borrow their confidence and belief from such encounters. Below are few worthy reckonings between the battles of the Titans.

When Javed Miandad whacked a six of Chetan Sharma full toss, there began a new era of Pakistan dominance. The Pakistanis drew belief about their own abilities and have emerged as a team of high standards.

The emergence of Sachin Tendulkar was witness and acclaimed by Abdul Qadir as he fall prey to the mesmerising stroke play of this tender kid.

During the finals of an initial Asia cup the Sachin-Ganguly-Kanitkar trio brought honours back to India by encompassing the mammoth target of 300+.

Saeed Anwar, perhaps the most exceptional left handed batsmen of world cricket, made merry in a Chennai one dayer by individually collecting a world record score of 194.

Saqlain bowled a superb spell of off-spin bowling and snatch away the victory from the jaws of Indians during a Chennai test match.

The verbal exchange between Aamir Sohail and Ventakesh Prasad spiced up the evening during the 1996 world cup. Sohail’s arrogance was dented by a Prasad leg cutter which tumbled his off stump.

Shoaibh Akhtar came to limelight when he bowled Sachin out first ball with a reverse swinging yorker during an Eden Garden test match that was seen by a capacity crowd of over a lakh. The audacity of noise when Sachin walked at crease to take guard was suddenly transferred into a pin drop silence with his exodus. The then tender age like us felt the pinch watching it live on our television sets. The silence was ‘deafening’ and the missed heart beat brought tears.

Sachin returned the onus on Shoaib during the spectacular display of batting at the Wanderers during the 2003 world cup. He cut, pulled, glanced, drove and steered Shoaib all in a single over which made the captian Wasim Akram to pull away Shoaib from bowling. Wasim uttered his famous words “तुम्हे पता है तुमने किसका कात्च छोड़ा है ?” during the same match when Sachin was dropped by Abdul Razzak.

The triple century of Virender Sehwag during the Multan test match is another feather on India’s cap. The emergence of Dhoni, Yuvraj, Nehra, Harbhajan and Raina on the International cricket scenario too has its roots to the performances against Pakistan. On the other side Shahid Afridi, Shoiab Malik, Umar Gul, Misbah-ul-haq has inflated their career path by their achievement against India.

Few of the players have sadly fallen back too. Irfan Pathan after his hatrick in the first over of a test match, Rushikesh Kanitkar after smashing a boundry of an ultimate ball, Lakshmipathy Balaji after his bowling exhibithion during the 2004 Pakistan tour are few Indians who didn’t make big. While from Pakistan the list is huge. Imran Farhat, Salim Malik, Ijaz Ahmed, Basit Ali to name few.

The most latest and exciting contest between the two teams was during the 2007 T20 world cup. Both the matches endow with an epitome of cricketing battle and the Indian crown as World Champions shined even better as the team they defeated in finals was Pakistan. Joginder Sharma became a hero while Misbah-ul-haq disbelieved his fate when he was caught scooping at fine leg by Sreesanth.

Hence the last thing one would expect from an India-Pakistan clash is the last ball finish and if you bet on it, you’ll come victorious on most occasions.

Over the horizon – Kshitij Thakur

At the tender age of 26, he became the Member of Legislative Assembly for the state of Maharashtra. The leap, is believed as a fortune obtained through his father who has a noticeable impact over the states affairs. Contrary to all the political qualities required to sustain in the gut, he posses a childish look over an innocence face. The language he speaks lacks authority and often wanders beside the point. Even so, the education qualification as a management graduate portray into his confident behaviour. No wonder this boy who inherits the father’s voice will emerge in future as an idol for new generation. He is Kshitij Thakur, the young MLA from the Nala Sopara constituency of Maharashtra.

Kshitij in Marathi means horizon. One that can be barely measured, one that everyone thrives to go over, one which scales the person’s dreams. No one knows what lies over there but the excitement to unveil has no measures. It was the 100 aniversary of the inception of our caste which staged Kshitij before the community. On the earlier day I was utterly disappointed during session which allowed general public to come up with whatever questions they have. The responses of Kshitij were frail and lack sense of purpose and direction. I was at a total dismay and even repent for casting my vote to him.

It was until the next day that the real colours of Kshitij which were hidden beneath the cover surfaced. The stage was open to Kshitij and he too came out as a batsman who has received free license to slog in a T20 match (I doubt his father was not around and the pressure was completely off). He began with the belief of lending helping hand to anyone coming to him with plans. He advises people to look beyond jobs and get into businesses. He challenged people to chase their dream and better their mediocrity. This is a need of an hour for our community which gathered mere 700 in numbers out of about 20,000 odd in counts to celebrate its centurion year.

Kshitij in his contemporary, yet father like voice, began further by showing his palm as an example. The thumb denotes the luck that we transfer to others for their endeavours. With thumbs-up we genuinely part our good wishes and support for the person’s work. The index finger indicates the target. We often use this finger to point at an objective. The middle finger represents our plans. Alike the finger, the plans need to be bigger than goals. The fourth finger symbolise the execution of these plans. No matter how much we act the plans must be higher. For all the goals, plans and execution the success will always be equivalent to the last finger. This theory when implemented into day to day life will work wonders.

Under the ministry of his own father Kshitij is developing into a leader to recon in near future. He further elaborates about goals that the achievement process or the path has to be worked out in reverse direction. If the target is to get into the National Cricket team, first an individual has to get into the state team. To get states berth one has to figure into the district team. For the chance into district level team, one has to shine for the college or the club team. Whatever may be the size of your dream, it has to be achieved by breaking it into the short term achievable goals.

This surprising outburst from Kshitij was enough for me to get excited about. The spark was visibly present in his eyes and I could gather the glitter even seated into the last chair of the congregation hall. Time only will prove whether this twinkle is of a diamond, one that last’s forever, or that of an eclipse which beautifies for mere few seconds. The time only will testify whether he stands for the promises and the beliefs of people like me. And I wish and think that the former will be accomplished for he has grown under the light of his own father.