Awaiting an awful lot of emotions on return amid announcement of a press conference most possibly to declare his innings closed, he ended the India trip the way it had started. On what looked like his last match in Pakistan colours, Shahid Afridi thanked fans in India.
There was no reason for him to feel different. Almost full to the capacity of 26,000, the stands sported all colours. Unmistakable for sight and sound were scores with Pakistan flags and placards. Most of them had Boom Boom on them. Chants of ‘Pakistan jeetega’ and ‘long live Afridi’ prompted queries whether they were from Pakistan. The reply that they were Kashmiris added flavour to a WT20 that thought it had had its dose of India, Pakistan and fans.
They posed for photographs, gave sound bites and added vibrance to a place expected to be quieter for a match not featuring the home team. Mostly from Srinagar and adjoining places in the valley, they came primarily for two matches featuring Pakistan. Some had been to Kolkata for Indo-Pak. The attendance was much bigger here because of proximity. Saying that this is the first tournament so many are travelling for, the fans estimated the number to be around a thousand.
“Chandigarh is an overnight journey from Srinagar, so easy for us to come here. Dharamsala trip had been planned, before we had to reschedule. We’ve bought tickets for the India-Australia match also. On that day, we will root for India,” said Khalif Khusroo, a businessman in a group of four. For Salahi Abbas, a student of Islamic history, matches featuring Australia and New Zealand were his first experience of supporting Pakistan live at the stadium in India. “From buying tickets, to travel, we have faced no problem,” said another of the four.
With slogans and posters not containing anti-India ingredients, security personnel monitored proceedings without interfering. It did little to change Pakistan’s fortunes, but proved that someone was right about love in India. “I thank fans in Kolkata and those who came from Pakistan and Kashmir,” Afridi acknowledged. He didn’t forget to mention BCCI.
