For the first time in 14 years, India and Pakistan are playing a full cricket series

By Asif Farooqi, IOL Correspondent

ISLAMABAD, MARCH 13 (IslamOnline.net) - Pakistan and India have been on the verge of war many times in the last fifteen years, as they were once again Saturday March 13. Only this time with a difference. The battle field has changed from a war front to a cricket ground.

National cricket teams of the two countries kicked off a historic series with a match in the southern port city of Karachi.

The game is seen as a symbol of thaw in relations between the two south Asian nuclear rivals, as many thousands Indian fans traveled all the way to watch the most thrilling event.

India won the thrilling match, watched by over 33,000 people present in the National Stadium Karachi from both countries.

Many Indian celebrities from politics, showbiz and rich businessmen came across the border to watch the Indian team playing in Pakistan after more than a decade.

Piraynka Gandhi, daughter of Congress party leader Sonia Gandhi along with her brother and husband was shown on the TV screen among many other Indian fans.

This is the first full tour of Indian cricket team to Pakistan since 1988-89. The visiting team would play three five-day test matches in five different cities of Pakistan.

It was almost two years ago that India refused to play the most popular subcontinent sport with Pakistan when it pulled out its team from an international cricket tournament being played at Sharjah in UAE.

It was not only sports that faced the brunt of Indian diplomatic brawl against Pakistan following December 2001 attack on its parliament which India blamed on Pakistan.

India severed all its diplomatic, trade and communication links within two months of the attack demanding handing over of the guerillas allegedly linked with the attack it said were based in Pakistan.

But since April last years both countries have reversed most of the retaliatory steps taken during the year 2002 by opening rail, road links and restoring full diplomatic relations.

Similar Hopes

Indian premier Atal Behari Vajepayee rejected a security concern by the home ministry and decided against its advice to send Indian team to Pakistan tour as high hopes for thaw in bilateral relations have been attached with the series.

"We have advocated an intensification of trade, economic cooperation, cultural 0exchanges and sporting links so that public opinion in both countries can be mobilized in support of peace," Vajpayee said in New Delhi on Friday, March 12.

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf issued a similar call in a statement on the eve of the cricket match.

"This cricket series should be seen as a gesture of friendship and good relations” Musharraf said.

"There should be no losers in this game," he said.

As the next game moves to Lahore on march 15, many more Indian celebrities who are invited by Pakistan cricket board are likely to joint he cricket fever.

Eight thousand seats have been reserved in every stadium where the matches would be played for the Indian fans because of the rush for ticket purchases.

Thousands of cricket fans had lined up from 6 a.m. for a chance to watch the beginning of what is being called the sporting spectacle of the decade.

All the seats in the 33,000 capacity stadium were sold out within half a day.

"Indian cricket team has come after a long time. We have been waiting for them for a while now. In earlier years, we could only watch them on the television so we are happy to see them live” said Naeem Ahmed, 22 who bought a ticket for the game in Lahore.

Cricket is almost a religion across the subcontinent and cricket heroes are revered like few others.

With the recent improvement of ties between India and Pakistan, the tour is the first test of how far relations can be normalized.

For this reason, even the Pakistani team knows that this series is more than just a sporting event.

"It would be my request to the whole Pakistani nation that they should watch this series with a positive mindset," Inzamamul Haq told Islamonline.net during an exercise in Lahore.

"They should appreciate whichever team plays better, with no mishaps," he added, in a missed tome of hope and anxiety.