After having won the ice-breaking one-Day International at Karachi in March 2004 how aptly and eloquently did Captain Rahul Dravid sum up his true feelings by saying, "It is not that India has won or Pakistan lost. It is the Karachi crowd who has won the match".
He said so because the Karachitis applauded lavishly every good stroke of the game irrespective of it whether it came from the Indian or Pakistani player. They seemed to enjoy cricket and cheered the player encouragingly for his every boundary, sixer or deftly stealing the run in between the wickets.
The entire stadium gave a standing ovation to the Indian players on their winning the match. Incidentally, it was not only at Karachi but the same spirit was exhibited by the crowds also at Lahore, Peshawar and other places in Pakistan. Alas, it was not the case at the Eden Gardens in the recent Platinum Jubilee historic match between the two stalwarts of the cricket world.
Whereas the crowd went berserk for an ordinary stroke by an Indian players the entire stadium was conspicuously silent and overtaken by a hush for even a sixer by the Pakistan players. One expected the Calculations to be more sporting, particularly in the wake of the improving relations between the two brotherly neighbours.
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