Arch rival Pakistan and India face off after four years and Pakistan managed 
to start their tour on a high note, sealing their win against India in a thriller T-20. The rivals met each other in a bilateral series after five years and some crisp moments grabbed all the attention on Christmas Day in the southern Indian city of Bangalore.
Pakistan won the match with five wickets to spare after India's batting collapsed at 133 for nine. Thousands of cricket fans began lining up outside Bangalore's massive Chinnaswamy Stadium nearly five hours before the match was to begin.
"This match is like no other. There's a special thrill to a match where
India faces Pakistan," said Ravinder Singh, his loyalties evident from the Indian flag colors painted on his cheeks. I'm telling my friends it will be worth the wait," said Singh, a college student, as he stood in a slow-moving line outside the stadium. Some of his friends were in the sky blue shirts of the Indian team.
Security was tight with thousands of paramilitary soldiers and police outside the stadium. Groups of police carried out body searches before allowing fans into the stadium after they had gone through metal detectors.
Unflustered by the tight security, cricket fans carried flags and pro-India banners while a few sported colorful wigs and face-paint. Despite a long history of mutual distrust and animosity, the love of cricket – bequeathed to India and Pakistan by South Asia's British colonial rulers – is one of the few things the countries agree upon.
In the years since the Mumbai attacks, some efforts have been made to bring bilateral relations out of the deep freeze. Direct trade has been increasing steadily as both countries make efforts to increase trade across their land border. "All forms of people-to-people contact, including sports, are important and should be pursued, but never at the cost of our main focus, which is terrorism emanating from Pakistan," said Vivek Katju, a retired diplomat who has served in Pakistan and was India's ambassador in Afghanistan.
Across the border, Pakistani analysts feel that while the resumption of sporting contact is welcome, the two can make real progress only when they succeed in resolving their long-standing disputes.
Rasool Bakhsh Rais, a professor of political science at the Lahore University of Management Sciences in Pakistan, said sports could be a "major avenue through which hostilities between the two nations could be set aside."
The expectations riding on cricket players are huge before any match, but especially when they play against their great rivals. So great are the pressures, a sports psychologist is accompanying the Pakistani team during its stint in India, Pakistani cricket officials said.
to start their tour on a high note, sealing their win against India in a thriller T-20. The rivals met each other in a bilateral series after five years and some crisp moments grabbed all the attention on Christmas Day in the southern Indian city of Bangalore.
Pakistan won the match with five wickets to spare after India's batting collapsed at 133 for nine. Thousands of cricket fans began lining up outside Bangalore's massive Chinnaswamy Stadium nearly five hours before the match was to begin.
"This match is like no other. There's a special thrill to a match where
India faces Pakistan," said Ravinder Singh, his loyalties evident from the Indian flag colors painted on his cheeks. I'm telling my friends it will be worth the wait," said Singh, a college student, as he stood in a slow-moving line outside the stadium. Some of his friends were in the sky blue shirts of the Indian team.
Security was tight with thousands of paramilitary soldiers and police outside the stadium. Groups of police carried out body searches before allowing fans into the stadium after they had gone through metal detectors.
Unflustered by the tight security, cricket fans carried flags and pro-India banners while a few sported colorful wigs and face-paint. Despite a long history of mutual distrust and animosity, the love of cricket – bequeathed to India and Pakistan by South Asia's British colonial rulers – is one of the few things the countries agree upon.
In the years since the Mumbai attacks, some efforts have been made to bring bilateral relations out of the deep freeze. Direct trade has been increasing steadily as both countries make efforts to increase trade across their land border. "All forms of people-to-people contact, including sports, are important and should be pursued, but never at the cost of our main focus, which is terrorism emanating from Pakistan," said Vivek Katju, a retired diplomat who has served in Pakistan and was India's ambassador in Afghanistan.
Across the border, Pakistani analysts feel that while the resumption of sporting contact is welcome, the two can make real progress only when they succeed in resolving their long-standing disputes.
Rasool Bakhsh Rais, a professor of political science at the Lahore University of Management Sciences in Pakistan, said sports could be a "major avenue through which hostilities between the two nations could be set aside."
The expectations riding on cricket players are huge before any match, but especially when they play against their great rivals. So great are the pressures, a sports psychologist is accompanying the Pakistani team during its stint in India, Pakistani cricket officials said.
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