Although the India vs Pakistan cricketing battles have always been intense on the field, but off-field, players of both nations share a great camaraderie among themselves.
From the bond between legendary Sunil Gavaskar and Zaheer Abbas to the great camaraderie between Harbhajan Singh and Shoaib Akhtar, Indian and Pakistani cricketers have shown, friendship knows no boundaries despite the political tensions between the two nations.
These cricketers pull each other’s legs, share banter and dine out together too. The latest was when Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali and teammates joined Shoaib Malik and Indian tennis star Sania Mirza to celebrate the third birthday of Izhaan Mirza Malik, who is the son of Shoaib and Sania.
Hasan took to Twitter to extend his wishes, saying, “Happy 3rd birthday to this cutie Izhaan Mirza Malik. May you get everything you wish for and may you make your parents proud InshaAllah. Lots of prayers and love from us.”
Besides Hasan Ali, other Pakistani cricketers present on Izhaan’s birthday were Pakistan captain Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Imad Wasim, Sarfaraz Ahmed and etc.
Earlier, light moments were shared between former India and Pakistan players as Gavaskar and Abbas along with Akhtar celebrated the anniversary of Kapil Dev’s debut in Test cricket.
The legends were seen having a gala time, including the cake cutting in Dubai. Also, Akhtar gave a good shoulder massage to Gavaskar.
For the cricket followers, social media becomes their source of entertainment during any ICC fixture between India and Pakistan as Harbhajan and Akhtar regularly exchange witty tweets.
Recently, Pakistan ended their 29-year-old jinx as they recorded their first-ever victory over India in World Cups. The Babar Azam-led side thumped Virat Kohli’s men by 10 wickets in the ongoing T20 World Cup on October 24 in Dubai.
Although India was divided into two - India and Pakistan - in August 1947, there is still a thread of mutual love and admiration that unites the hearts on both sides.