Pakistan hit the ground running

Kolkata, The Indian fans and the country’s security environment got a rousing endorsement from the Pakistan cricketers on Sunday, with visiting skipper Shahid Afridi acknowledging that his boys get more love from sports buffs here than from those back home. Seasoned Pakistani campaigner Shoaib Malik, married to Indian tennis star Sania Mirza, gave the thumbs up to the security provided to the team and asserted that he never faced any security issues during his frequent trips to India.
In a series of media interactions on Sunday, a day after setting foot on Indian soil, the Pakistan cricketers played the role of goodwill ambassadors to perfection, stressing on the cultural similarities between the two neighbours and underscoring the importance of cricket in bringing the two nations closer.
“We get lot of love from fans here, even more than we get from the fans in Pakistan,” said Afridi.
“Cricket is a sport which has brought the two countries together. Can there be anything better than politics and cricket to bring the two countries together?” he said.
However, Afridi disagreed with the assumption that by not opting out of the tournament despite being given a choice by the authorities in Islamabad to travel or not to travel to India, the cricketers don’t share the Pakistan government’s apprehensions about their security in India.
“It is not a question of disagreement. Whatever decision the government takes, we back it. We are not politicians,” he said.
Afridi turned a tad sentimental as he profusely praised the Eden Gardens, particularly its boisterous crowd, where Pakistan would be playing two Super Ten matches, including the high-voltage clash against India on March 19.
“Talking about the fans, my cricket is about to end. The sort of love I have got here, I will remember all my life. People here really love cricket and the cricketers. They love good performances,” he said.
Pakistan have a clean slate in Kolkata in the limited-overs format, winning each of the six games they have played at the hallowed venue. And this bit of statistics has made Afridi upbeat about his side’s prospects in the first two games. “Good that we are playing our first two games here. We have always enjoyed playing on this ground. This ground suits us,” Afridi said.
Reminded that Pakistan have never won a game against India in the World Cups, Afridi said: “This (Pakistani record) is negative. However, negatives come with positives… I’ve always taken things positively.”