CHENNAI: India will take on arch-rivals Pakistan in the most-anticipated clash of the 2023 ODI World Cup in Ahmedabad on Saturday. The biggest sporting spectacle in the game will see who's who descending at the biggest cricket venue, the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. However, super fans from across the border who will be conspicuous by their absence.
Be it septuagenarian Abdul Jalil famously known as Chacha Cricket or Farooq Anjum Shah aka Chacha Pakistani, they all will have to watch the match at their respective homes as they have not been issued Indian visas yet.
"He just celebrated his 74th birthday with his family on October 8. He wanted to be in Ahmedabad at the moment but didn't get an Indian visa yet," Abdul Khalid, son of Chacha Cricket, told this daily from Sialkot, Pakistan. The son said his father had visited India in 1998, 2005, 2007, 2011 and 2013 and has a lot of friends over there. "It's a big setback as he wanted to travel to India. He always gets a lot of love and respect from Indian cricket fans. He also requested the Indian government to facilitate the visit of Pakistani fans to the World Cup in India. He also requested the chairman of the PCB managing committee Mr Zaka Ashraf to play his role," the son added.
Chacha Pakistani's story is not different as unlike his more famed compatriot this would have been his first visit to India. "I will regret this for my life. It's my lifetime wish to watch the India-Pakistan match in India but that didn't happen," Chacha Pakistani, who hails from Mangtanwala town of Nankana Sahib in the Punjab province of Pakistan, told this daily.
Ever since the hosts for the tournament was announced, he was preparing for the visit but the visa hurdle has derailed all his plans. "I have been preparing for this visit for the past two years. I even got a new dress and a new hat for the tournament. I have a few friends in India and they wanted to give me a warm welcome to send a good message in both countries."
He started following the Pakistan team around 15 years ago and watched the team in action in the 2019 World Cup in England and the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. "England and Australia had given me visas but don't know why this is causing an issue in India. It's the first time I have been facing this problem. The Indian government should have made sure that the Pakistani fans get visas as the crowd makes the cricket match interesting. The crowd comprising Indian and Pakistani fans makes it more fun and engrossing. Besides, when commoners from both sides travel to each other's nation, it helps in removing that fear and also sends a positive message. Unfortunately, India missed the opportunity," Chacha Pakistani said.
For Chacha Cricket, this edition of the marquee event is special as probably this would have been his last visit to the country given his age and health issues. "He missed a few World Cup matches but really didn't want to miss this year's edition in India. India is a cricket-loving nation and the atmosphere of matches would have been great. He even requested PCB to sponsor his trip but it asked him to wait for the visa. But he has yet not lost his hopes. He is hopeful that he may join the team in Kolkata and Bengaluru if he gets the visa," signed off the son.
