The hero of Sunday’s India-Pakistan match was Hardik Pandya and the fans had come well prepared for the big hitter. Several fans seated near the press box quickly started making placards to cheer him on — one called the 28-year-old the Neymar of India after the Brazilian football star, while another poster read out “Hairy Hardik” for the flamboyant cricketer’s funky hairstyles.
Pandya had ample family support too in the stands as his brother, Krunal, was cheering him on. According to reports, the siblings were called the “Maggi brothers” due to their love for instant noodles in their childhood. As he made an unbeaten 33 off 17 balls, some supporters called him “Kung Fu Pandya”, inspired by the American animated feature, Kung Fu Panda. With so many nicknames doing the rounds, some wondered what the tattooed star is actually called by close family and friends.
After his Man-of-the-Match-winning performance, the media persons expected Pandya to be present at the post-game conference, but another star of the evening — Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who took 4/26 — turned up.
Sun-shield
Any India-Pakistan match is special and the frenzy among fans is evident on the way to the stadium. Sunday was no different. Supporters of both teams parked their cars away from the stadium and walked to their respective gates, exuberantly cheering all the way. But the walk was a test of stamina.
Here, in Dubai, the temperature hovers around 40°C and sunburn is highly likely. So, a lot of the fans wrapped themselves up in their flags as they walked to the gates that opened at 3pm. Some enterprising people around the stadium made quick money selling water bottles, but unfortunately, they were confiscated at the entrance.
Dhoni love
India and Pakistan team jerseys with the Asia Cup 2022 logo sold out like hot cakes on Sunday. Many outlets were also willing to print names and numbers on the back for the spectators. The Telegraph caught up with one such supporter, who said: “I could have had my name printed on the back but I preferred to have (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni’s name with his favourite number 7.”
Happy heart
Pakistan batsman Khushdil Shah evoked a lot of interest among the Indians. Some of them asked around if he had any Indian roots. A journalist explained Shah was a common name among Pathans and that he was from Peshawar. Khushdil means “happy heart” and so when he fell quickly after scoring just 2, one of the Indians in the stands remarked Khushdil had made them happy.
