When Sachin Played for Pakistan
From what one has heard from Indian cricketers
who have played against
Pakistan, whatever the rivalry may be on the field, off the field
there is
lots of mutual admiration, respect and regard for each other.
My own personal favourite is the story of when
a Pakistan XI led by the
awe-inspiring Imran Khan took on the Cricket Club of India Golden
Jubilee XI
at the historic Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai, sometime in 1987-'88.
The
Pakistan team was playing this festival match as part of the CCI
Golden
Jubilee celebrations, and the CCI team had stalwarts like Roger
Binny,
Mohammad Azharuddin among others in its ranks.
Having been a member of the CCI cricket team,
I was one of the 'volunteers'
looking after the Indian dressing room, and was warned by the Pakistan
manager that they would require a couple of fielders in case any
of their
stars decided that the hotel was a better place to be instead of
the field.
Sure enough, after the guests had finished their
batting and Chandrakant
Pandit was smashing the ball around, Javed Miandad and Abdul Qadir
decided
to hop back to their hotel and the Pakistan manager looked toward
us for
much needed resources to patrol the Brabourne outfield.
CCI, that year, had in their ranks a few promising
youngsters as 'playing
members', a fabulous tradition that has given a platform for young
cricketers to display their talents in Mumbai's senior tournaments.
Kushroo
Vasania, a former India Under-19 captain, was among those who had
been
drafted into the CCI as also was a young man with curly mop of hair
and
prodigious talent, one who answered to the name of Sachin Ramesh
Tendulkar!
Sachin had become a 'playing member' that year,
and had played in Mumbai's
senior league for the first time. The CCI's then president Madhav
Apte (a
former India player) had changed the rules to allow the 'minor'
to step into
the 'above-18 allowed' CCI cricket dressing room. Both were told
to be
available if required
Kushroo was an obvious choice, having been one
of the good fielders in the
Mumbai cricket circuit. While Shishir Hattangadi (former Mumbai
captain) and
I were looking for 'fielder No. 2', we heard the (now famous) soft
voice
ask: 'Me Zaaoo Ka?' (Can I go?).
Even before we said 'yes' the curly-topped kid
was on the ground, rubbing
shoulders with Wasim Akram, Imran, Rameez Raja, Mudassar Nazar!
India's pride and joy, Sachin Tendulkar, had
in fact stepped on to the
international arena for the first time as a reserve fielder for
a Pakistan
XI! I doubt if there can be a better example of what could be possible,
if
we were to propagate good relations between two neighbours who love
peace
and share the same passions, but are unfortunately kept away from
each other
by rabid politics and hateful propaganda.
Postscript: Marcus Couto, a cricket enthusiast,
umpire, statistician and
friend of Sachin's remembers the conversation they had when he and
Sachin
headed home after that game. "We were travelling in a second
class
compartment of Mumbai's Western Railway, and Sachin was upset that
the
captain had posted him too deep at long on. He tried to go for a
catch, but
the ball was too far away from him," says Marcus.
"I think that was the last time Sachin
traveled in a Mumbai suburban train,"
he adds.
Courtesy: rediff.com
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