So
true are the lines of a famous Hindi movie song; like the boundaries
cannot stop birds, waters, and air, boundaries could not stop two
cricket-crazy nations to give a world a wonderful gift, a series that
was "na bhuto na bhavishyati". Neither in the past, nor in the future
will any game be played and watched
with so much passion and commitment. The anxiety and nervousness were
at their peak with more than 100 million people glued to their television
sets discussing about the past matches and predicting about the future
matches. People were literally walking cricket, talking cricket, eating
cricket, and drinking cricket. Be it school, be it office, there was
only one topic-Cricket. We at GMPL were not too far behind.
This
cricket series was more than a cricket series, a game. It was a serious
and honest effort on part of both the governments to bridge the gap
between the two nations, break the barriers, and through a sport,
which was close to peoples' heart. This series was going to act like
a catalyst to help speed up the peace process, which had already been
started with the Samjhauta Express and Wagah meet and Lahore meet.
So, there was enormous responsibility on the players of both the teams
as the whole world was watching with holding breath.
It all started when BCCI announced the Series between India and Pakistan
in 2004. Amongst all the speculations of whether that would really
take place or not, it finally got the green signal and was decided
that the series will be played between March 13, 2004 to April 17,
2004. Five one-dayers and three test matches were going to decide,
which nation amongst the two would be happy the most.
Amidst security like never before (equivalent to security for a President's
visit) and lot of tension and anxiety, the day arose when Indian players
landed on Pakistani soil carrying with them the best wishes and expectation
of millions and millions of people. It was 'Operation Vijay' of a
different kind. Yet, this time, our players had to win hearts of the
Pakistani people and of course, the trophy as this was the special
message to our players by our prime minister. The series was very
appropriately named as "Jeet lo dil" and "friendship series".
First, the one-dayers were to be played and then the test matches.
The stage was set. Indians lost the first match that they played on
the Pakistan soil, which was with the Pakistan-A team, a practice
match. It was a high-scoring match with nearly 700 runs being scored.
It was a prelude to what was going to come. It also showed that the
batsman were in good touch (as India depends strongly on their batting
line up).
Finally, a day dawned when the series got underway with the first
one-dayer. The venue was Karachi and the day was March 13, 2004. It
was as if the world had only place, and it was Karachi. There was
tension prevailing in air in both the countries. People woke up in
anticipation of a great day (a day when their team was going to beat
the opponents). Many people were at home glued to their television
sets, staying off from work. The series got underway with India winning
the toss and deciding to bat, and that started the fire works. The
runs flew out of bats of the Indian batsman and we piled up a huge
score, which made us believe that we were going to win the match quite
comfortably. A miracle was required by Pakistan to meet the target.
But, as Pakistani innings got underway many in India found out that
it was not a cakewalk. Pakistanis were chasing a huge target in a
very competitive manner, and at one point we thought they might even
achieve it. It required a miracle and Pakistan almost had done it.
It required a highest total to chase, nobody had done it ever before,
but this series was of different kind. The whole second innings was
sea-saw sometimes in favor of India and sometimes in the favor of
Pakistan. The end brought everybody on the edge of their seats. At
the end, India had won the match by just five runs. It was a perfect
beginning to a wonderful tour ahead. Then began post match reviews,
meetings, assessments, analysis, interviews, and so on. This match
gave a lot of confidence to the Indian team. As the first match set
the course, the series followed the same pattern of a sea-saw.
For the second match, Pakistan announced a few changes in the team
and there were few changes in the strategies. Second match was at
Rawalpindi, home of the fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, Rawalpindi Express.
Pakistanis lived up to their expectations and won the match by just
12 runs. Again, it was a close finish. The third match was again won
by Pakistan, and the Indian people were getting a little bit restless.
The fourth match at Lahore was crucial for both the teams. It was
day-night affair and the Indians won the match by five wickets. That
left the fifth match to be a series decider. Again, there were speculations
whether India will hold their nerve or again they will prove that
they are chokers. But, Indian players exhibiting true professionalism
and commitment showed the cricket world how much India as a team has
improved and won the match and by good margin of 40 runs. One form
of game had been won by India. Now, it was the real test - the test
matches. Back to whites and basics, there was still a lot of enthusiasm
remaining for the series. The test series again was a close affair
and India won the series 2-1. India had won both the one-day and five-day
test matches beating Pakistan in all forms of games. Many heroes emerged
from both sides exhibiting true class and talent, which needs to be
nurtured. It was not any individual, but team India had won that gives
more pleasure than anything. Excellent teamwork and coordination,
capable leadership, professionalism, and commitment help India win
against archrivals, which was not at all an easy thing.
The series was over, but it marked the beginning of new era in cricket
history. The series will be remembered for the way it was played more
than the results. It marked the beginning of new era in relationship
between India and Pakistan. Thousands of cricket series have taken
place and thousands will take place, but this series will always hold
a special place in hearts of people from India as well as Pakistan.
