I don't consider such people as Pak fans. They are more of lobbyists. Criticizing players is one thing but hating and wanting the team to fail is pathetic.
But then again, you can only play what's put in front of you right? given that we don't play as much as the other teams, we can't fully blame us always playing our best xi. India can afford to rest the likes of Rohit and Kohli because they play so much more than us.
Pakistanis and Indians are always friendly face to face. Especially when abroad the two get along like brethren when they see each other, to most casual outsiders they look like they're from the same country, share a similar language etc.. Plenty of Pakistanis and Indians live and work alongside each other as economic migrants all over the world with absolutely no issues. I've seen plenty of Ind-Pak games in uni on the big screen seated alongside and the atmosphere was brilliant.
You are amazing to say the least! No wonder, even in sports you guys won't ever be able to keep religion away. You keep on reminding Shoaib Malik's apology to 'Muslim brethren after the T20 final 2007, and quite fittingly Irfan Pathan was the MoM. Don't go by social media, it would only further the rift created by the politicians. Our cricket team is comprised of Md Siraj, Md Shami, I hope you don't insinuate they would support Pakistan. Same way many of us (non-muslims) idolized Wasim and Waqar, and copied their bowling action. Even after that Waqar made such a crass comment after their only WC win over India. So, even though it's a pak forum be a bit circumspect.
Exactly, even in a place like Mumbai (not sure if Pak is playing there) where people have every reason to be angry, will Pakistani cricketers face issues. Most people will enjoy the rivalry and move on.
Good to know they were welcomed with open hearts. That's what we Indians have been and should be known for. And some people on Twitter were driving the propaganda that they were given a cold welcome as evident by the fact that there were no flowers and bouquets for them at arrival.
Good post, you have said more or less what I have in my minds. Despite all the crazy propaganda & huge shift in mentality for a huge portion of population in last one decade I am pretty confident Pak team will be received warmly in general as long as they are playing in south & east parts of India(Where they will play most of their matches anyway). Obviously things are extreme & completely opposite in the north /west zone but since they will have to play maximum two games there they shouldn't be worried. Chennai, Kalkata & Hyderabad have always appreciated Pak even when they were playing against Ind. So I think that won't change too much this time around. They have always admired aggressive passionate cricket from Pak which historically all the visiting sides from 80's to 2000's were known for.
Yup! One thing Pakistani players will find familiar in Hyderabad is that they will see a lot of things written in Urdu as well!
Support for NZ is ever present, irrespective of the pastings we've received from them during Ko's because of the dignity/honour with which they conduct themselves. SA may also get good support. Pak will get good support from the crowds (in South and east) than the pitches as the specific opponents they play against are dangerous for those particular type of pitches. For all the tensions, BJP has played safely by scheduling most pak matches in states which don't hold animosity towards Pak.
Hopefully your presence will prove a lucky charm for Pak that day.
But you know very well that Pakistan and India in eyes og eachother are not like most other teams. There is a speciall history there.
I think there was a lot of love for SA players in India during the time of ABD, Faf, Steyn etc. Australia as well due to their IPL presence.
I am trying hard to get Pak Vs Nz, extend your support if u can
Gujarat has been anti-Pakistan for the last 20-25 years, BJP captured the state at the turn of the millennium and have made Gujarat their fortress. A series of events happened which caused all this, was different in 90s and before. But I don't want to derail this thread by talking about politics.
People often forget that Wasim Akram was a much-liked cricketer in India for his ability and charisma and it didn't matter to Indians that he was a Pakistani even when we were fighting over Kargil, lol. Whatever his personal failings, he was clearly the only Pakistani player in the late 90's who had the EQ and the social skills to be genuinely friendly with even players of a "hostile" nation while being careful enough not to bring religion/politics when the situation was quite "delicate" .
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So basically what you are saying is Nz will be the most supported overseas team after Pak? Well I can see some logic. I don't know about SA honestly, I always thought those crazy fanfare they used to receive were for particular players(AB,Steyn,Amla), before that for guys like Donald & Klusner. Current generation has no such name who will attract many Indians. Miller potentially, but he is no way near as big those past legends were. So maybe you are right, Nz is the one other than Pak who will probably receive some warmth due to their good boy image. What do you about Afg? Based on online Indians seem to have lot more sympathy for them compared to what they have for Pak, Ban or Sri. I see them getting lot support in SENA matches as well as against Pak & Ban.
Among crowds, apart from India and maybe Afghanistan, Pakistan will get maximum support especially in Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad. Though Australia and NZ are well liked here, NZ because of their good boys reputation and Australia because of IPL, social media interactions etc. In some venues Aus, NZ will be most liked behind India. South Africa was supported when AB was playing, not the case now since our people aren't familiar with many of their players. West Indies always had a fanbase here, unfortunately they aren't coming this time. England has a fanbase in Jaipur because of IPL but no match scheduled there. Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi players aren't well known, so will be mostly ignored.
Also if Pak make semis, they know it is Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Other semifinalists will probably be confused till final day, but Pak can make plans much earlier, they anyway will be playing 2 games in Kolkata including against defending world champions. The pitches in Kolkata and Mumbai have polar opposite nature, need entirely different tactics and team selection for those 2 venues. SENA teams will prefer Mumbai, India and Pak will prefer Kolkata. No team would want to take on England in Mumbai.
You love for Pak is very aparent in this thread. Which team you will be supporting this world cup bro?? Especially on 14th Oct in Ahmedabad?
Yeah, current gen SA players are not known to every common man over here unlike AB, Steyn et all. Ah i forgot Afg. They'll receive a lot of support here. Known both for their quick rise, performance and the difficulty they've come up with back home, they have a lot of soft corner here. Afg will absolutely get massive support here - I'll put them above NZ/SA/PAK in that regard. It's a funny thought isn't it, that the neighbour to your neighbour is always liked but neighbours always quarrel among each other. Not just in cricket/politics but it happens in every walk of life.
When are you moving back to India? Bro.You love for Pak is very aparent in this thread. Which team you will be supporting this world cup bro?? Especially on 14th Oct in Ahmedabad?
Pakistan will get some support in Hyderabad. Lots of Hyderabadi muslim families are separated and have close relatives in Pakistan.
So much nonsense is being spouted here.
Are you seriously going to compare Eden Gardens and Wankhede with this new stadium, in terms of legacy and importance to Indian cricket? And appropriately named Narendra Modi stadium lol, that too when he is alive.
What's the name of the stadium has to do with the fact that it's the best stadium in India as of now?
This I agree with, atleast in the urban/sub-urban areas there is massive diminish in such blind support, if not for any. Education, rise in societal status and intermingling has played a huge part in it. Also Muslim players are very much part of our national, u19 and A teams. They have fair representation at all levels from all regions without any bias against them. This has contributed too!
A lot of cricket stadiums in India are named after the local cricket association presidents. Eg: Chinnaswamy in Bangalore, M.A.Chidambaram in Chennai, Arun Jaitley in Delhi etc. Narendra Modi was the president of the Gujarat Cricket Association and so the stadium is named after him. It was much before he became PM.
We used to have muslim kids in Hyderabad celebrating Pakistan victories with fireworks in the 1990s, when their own fellow Hyderabadi muslim, M.Azharuddin, was the captain of the Indian team. And muslims have always been represented in the Indian cricket setup.
If you get so itchy, stop generalizing Indian Muslims and their support to Pakistan.
Such a great representation of secular India!
I don't think anybody mentioned anything along those lines. At least that was not the intention. It is true that large parts of Southern India don't have that much of baggage from Partition. It is only natural for people in the North and West to have such intense passions because they probably grew up listening to horror stories of Partition from their parents and grandparents where they lost lives and property etc.
You should be able to get it mate! Initially it was a problem, but now the tickets are getting booked easily. Not sure about Bangalore games though. Also keep checking, a few days back they were showing some categories as sold out but now they are available again!I am trying hard to get Pak Vs Nz, extend your support if u can
A useless comment on a cricket forum.
Its foolish to assume all the fans present in the airport were muslims. If Kohli and Indian team visits Pakistan most of the pakistan fans who will shower their love will be muslims. So you can keep religion aside atleast for once.
This is actually true at least in Bangalore. Many Muslims here used to be Pakistani supporters (although the majority still supported India) but in recent times that has declined a lot.
There are always different sides. I'm sure many, MANY people in India has cricket fans will love watching Pakistan...and Aus, and Eng etc etc. I hope its a festival of cricket in cricket's largest territories but we also know for a fact there are major security concerns, history of violence at matches and hate fuelled rhetoric that could derail the matches at any point.
I think Pakistani team played t20 in Ahmedabad in 2013 series and it passed of witout any events. As for actors, they would usually shoot in Mumbai but if I am right mahira Khan shot for raees in Gujarat and everything wnet about peacefully without and controversies.
Brother you have a wrong understanding of secularism. Secularism doesn't mean supporting a foriegn team. Secularism means separation of religion and state. A state (government) needs to be secular wherein religion doesn't play a role in policies or governance. But in India secularism meaning has been changed by political parties and media that people need to be secular. How can a common man be secular when he is not in the position to govern? People need to be inclusive and accept diversity which again isn't related to wearing pakistani attire or singing dil dil pakistan.Maybe bcoz they are Indians??
Anyway, no one is judging you brother. As you rightly said its just a game of cricket. I would request you too wear Pakistani attire and sing Dil Dil Pakistan while watching their game somwhere in Chennai. Its time for Indian liberals to shower their love openly for Pakistan and show the world that we are a secular nation.
Why did you send team to an enemy state?
I am sure you also have sung or hummed Dil Dil Pakistan, even unintentionally, the tone is just too catchy.Maybe bcoz they are Indians??
Anyway, no one is judging you brother. As you rightly said its just a game of cricket. I would request you too wear Pakistani attire and sing Dil Dil Pakistan while watching their game somwhere in Chennai. Its time for Indian liberals to shower their love openly for Pakistan and show the world that we are a secular nation.
