India vs Pakistan brought to book
A new book subtly probes into the social and cultural fabric of the arch-rivals while telling the story of India's 2004 travels to Pakistan.
Why does India turn green with envy at Pakistan's bottomless well of fast bowlers?
What made Abdul Qadir choose a peculiar, almost comical, dancing action to bamboozle batsmen with his wrist spin?
What did India's historic tour of Pakistan last year do for the people of the two countries, united by a common heritage but divided by a violent history?
A new book explores all this and more while telling the story of India's 2004 travels in Pakistan, the first full series between the teams on that side of the border in 14 years due to political tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
"Pundits from Pakistan" is being hailed by critics as an impressive, even brilliant, diary that subtly probes into the social and cultural fabric of the two south Asian nations acrimoniously partitioned along religious lines in 1947.
The path-breaking tour was a phenomenal success in fostering good relations between the cricket-mad countries, with Indian fans overwhelmed by Pakistani hospitality after years of bitterness.
Pakistan are already in India for a return trip, their first since 1999. Almost 10,000 fans are expected to cross the border to watch the action and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf will come to engage in "cricket diplomacy".
Describing the mood in Karachi when India won the opening one-dayer, Rahul Bhattacharya, a journalist and the book's author says: "After a few seconds of recovery, as the Indians clustered together in triumph, applause poured forth from every direction.
"And it poured and it poured and it poured in absolute loud unison. It poured till the hair stood on end, till one felt at one with it, of it really. No one spoke in those moments, the most moving of moments, a people reaching out to another."
CROWD TROUBLE
The Karachi match, in which India scored 349 and Pakistan finished just five short, remains the highest-scoring in One-Day International history.
It was played at the National Stadium where, in 1989, a spectator had jumped on to the field and scuffled with Indian captain Krish Srikkanth during Sachin Tendulkar's debut Test. Later that tour, a one-dayer was abandoned due to stone-throwing.
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