Indira once challenged us to win against India: Pak cricketer
ANI
Islamabad, September 19
In early 1950s former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had once (she was young girl then) challenged the Pakistani cricket team saying that they can’t win against India, veteran Pakistan cricketer Fazl Mahmood recalls.
According to him, during Pakistan’s first ever tour to India in 1952-53, Indira said, “best of luck… but you can’t win against India. Our team took the challenge, Nazar Mohammad hit a century and I took 12 wickets as we went on to win the Lucknow Test.”
He further said that she was very upset when Pakistan rose to her challenge and beat India for the first time. “She was a true ambassador of her country and was passionate to see her team win,” Fazal said adding that India went on to clinch the five-Test series with victory in Mumbai, The News reported Friday.
About restoring cricketing ties between the two countries, he said, “people in both the countries are mad over cricket and if cricket is resumed we would be more close to each other and bloodshed would be avoided.”
Fazal, now 76, took 139 wickets in 34 Tests.
Recalling the response the game generated half-a-century ago, he said, “the atmosphere was electrifying and people came to watch us in large numbers. Indian players like Lala Amarnath, Vino Mankad and Polly Umrigar were competitive yet friendly. We gave them a tough fight.”
Hanif Mohammad, Pakistan’s opener on the tour, also spoke about his desire to see the two neighbours fight it out on the field again. “The level of excitement is too high, it’s spell-binding when Pakistan and India play and it is my wish to see India play Pakistan again,” he said
And according to Imtiaz Ahmed, the wicket keeper on the tour, it was a “huge loss” that India and Pakistan have stopped playing against each other.
Stating that cricketing values had changed over the years, he said, “we used to play for the country and now the game is commercialised and it is a huge loss, both commercially and public interest-wise, that India does not play us.”
Source : Hindustantimes
Now that would have been fun 