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Cricket and Indian fans are inseparable. When the Indian team plays against the other team, both the players of the Indian team and the opposing team participate in the game. But Indian politicians and celebrities clash with Indian players and Pakistani politicians and celebrities clash with Pakistani players only when India clashes with Pakistan.

This trend has been an unchanging story. Let them collide. But fans of both countries should at least avoid falling prey to a structured nationalism and hate politics spread around it. It should be approached as cricket only. An example of this has happened in our own Tamil Nadu. Let’s take a look at the emotional incident that happened on the same day.

January 1999. As usual, it was a period of friction between India and Pakistan. (The Kargil War was also fought in May of that year.)

In January, the Pakistan team led by Wasim Akram is coming to play a series in India. Pakistan team has come to India after almost 10 years. The first Test match will be played in Chepauk, Chennai. Captain Wasim Akram makes a point during a meeting with the players in the dressing room before the start of the match.

‘We are going to play cricket in India among Indian fans. Our performance can be measured by the reaction of the fans. If the fans are very quiet and calm, it means we are playing well. That is, if the fans are shouting and cheering, it can be taken as saying that we are playing badly.

That is, Wasim Akram thinks that Indian fans will not support Pakistan anyway. But, what happened was different.

When Pakistan plays well and takes good wickets, the fans make huge cheers. Saqlain Mushtaq gets a standing ovation for taking 5 wickets.

India played modestly in the first innings itself. Sachin was ducked out. Venkatesh Prasad did not take a single wicket. India struggle to save the match in the second innings. Venkatesh Prasad takes 6 wickets in bowling. Sachin stands alone to score a century. But the Indian team could not win. Indian team comes close to victory and loses. Pakistan won the first match by just 12 runs.

Now surprise again. The entire fan base stands up and claps to congratulate the victorious Pakistan team.

Not only Wasim Akram but the entire Pakistan team is stunned. Chennai is in love with the fans. Chennai fans have no intention of hating them just because they are Pakistan. There is nothing wrong in congratulating a team playing good cricket. Even though they have brought down our country! The fans who had gathered in Chepauk had expressed their advanced thoughts. The entire cricketing world watched with bated breath how the fans reacted when India fell against Sri Lanka in the 1996 World Cup. Compared to that, the way the Tamil Nadu fans treated the Pakistani players is what makes people talk over time. This incident earned the Chennai fans the title of ‘Knowledgeable Crowd’.

Years later, Wasim now holds out the mic to Akram and asks, ‘What was your favorite incident in the India-Pakistan conflict?’ Despite being asked, Wasim Akram says that Chennai Test and the cheers of the fans are his favorite moments.

This Chepakkam incident will forever remain in history as an incident that should be kept in mind by the fans of both countries who have left the hate politics that is inflated during the India vs Pakistan matches!

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