Asia Cup diary: Revelry in, rivalry out

By K.R. Nayar

Cricket fans are a patient lot. Despite the temperature hovering over 40 degrees they waited for hours to catch a glimpse of their star cricketers while alighting and returning to their team buses. When Team India arrived, some fans tried to jump the rails and rush to the cricketers. But they could not break the cordon made by the well-built security men who looked like bouncers. Many kept cheering for Virat Kohli as he came out of the bus and he even obliged a fan with a selfie. If Kohli was the star Indian fans were cheering for, Pakistan fans cheered for their skipper Babar Azam. Rohit Sharma won the hearts of Pakistan fans when he shook hands with Pakistan fans and giving one of them a near hug over the railing making them all shout out “we love you Rohit”.

This story was published in The Telegraph, India 

No political flags please

Dubai Police has warned fans not to carry political flags and banners to the stadium. However, the Pakistan team had their flag positioned next to their net-practice area while training. This is a practice being followed by their Head Coach Saqlain Mushtaq. He believes that the presence of the flag is an inspiration and motivation for his players. There were no political questions to any team at the press conferences. Afghanistan skipper Mohammad Nabi said that he has just played in a domestic tournament at home and Afghan fans are hoping for a strong performance from his team. Sri Lankan skipper Bhanuka Rajapakse remarked that his country’s fans were disappointed at missing out staging this Asia Cup at home.  While top Indian players mixed freely with Pakistan fans, Pakistsn players did the same with Indian fans. At the press conference, when Indian vice-captain KL Rahul was asked about the rivalry with Pakistan, he said that he has played with many of the Pakistan players from the Under-19 World Cup days. “They lived their dream and we too lived our dreams to become good cricketers.” 

Pakistan team trains with their national flag positioned close to the nets

Indian team manager is an allrounder 

Indian team manager Renjit Rajendran is considered to be an allrounder. Rajendran came to the fore through club cricket, and is now the joint secretary of the Kerala Cricket Association. He played for Golden Wheel Cricket Club and even now plays veterans cricket for teams like Gate Way Cricket Club and Travancore Cricketing Union in Kerala. He is also a Level 1 Umpire and then got involved in cricket administration. He is also a software expert although a lawyer by profession. Having been involved in cricket administration for years, he was seen enjoying the role of a manager. 

Team India manager Renjit Rajendran 

A dream time for an Under-19 world cup player 

Jash Giyanani, the left-arm spinner who played for the UAE Under-19 team in the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2022, is over the moon after he got to bowl to Indian and Pakistan batsmen at the nets. He impressed everyone as a net bowler, especially Pakistan Head Coach Saqlain Mushtaq, who was one of the finest spinners in the world. Mushtaq even gave him a few tips. 

Jash Giyanani with Virat Kohli 

Giyanani was instrumental in the UAE emerging as the champions in the Plate event of the 2022 Under-19 World Cup. So thrilled was Giyanani with the opportunity as a net bowler that he bowled for over two hours despite the heat. After bowling to Indian players KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav, he remarked that what makes them special is their quick feet movement and hand reflexes. Giyanani grew up training at Dubai’s G Force Cricket Academy.