World Cup India Pakistan match: Win is the only thing

Virender Sehwag had once come up with this highly entertaining tale about his sledging with Shoaib Akhtar during an India-Pakistan match: "Shoaib was repeatedly bowling bouncers and I kept ducking. He'd walk up to me and taunt `show me your hook shot'.

After a lot of this sort of talk, I told him pointing out at Sachin, `that's your father at the non-striker's end. Ask him to show you the shot.' Next over Shoaib bounced at Sachin and he hooked him for a six. I walked by Shoaib and remarked, "Beta beta hota hai, baap baap hota hai".

Sehwag's inimitable wry humour is legendary in cricket circles. He has his own way of seeing the funny side even during tense moments and it is this extraordinary gift which helps him make light of any pressure. Pakistanis, in fact, bring out the best in him as he can banter with them in Hindi.

It is no wonder that while other players on either side of the border succumb to nerves in these needle matches, he has a triple ton and a double ton to show, among other sterling performances.
Pakistani all-rounder Abdul Razzaq, who grew up in a one room house in Lahore with eight others and learnt his initial cricket on the streets, hit the nail on the head when he explained pressure associated with India-Pakistan matches.

"All my countrymen want to see only a win against India. They do not care for anything else. They put tremendous pressure on us all the time to win against India. We don't enjoy it at all. The tension is too much."

He could well have been echoing the feelings of the Indian cricketers, except, in this case, these are a billion people who'd settle for nothing other than an Indi [...]


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