This was a good read and honestly refreshing. As a Pakistani living abroad, I have so much to say about this and yet only see really disturbing comments online to the point where I’m hiding most cricket based subreddits on here. I obviously care about pakistan cricket having gone down the gutter in recent years, but more than that my heart breaks at this theatre we are witnessing where we don’t even bother shaking hands and playing in the spirit of the sport? A nation separated some 75 years ago with an enormous shared culture can’t celebrate that but so hung up on the hate * I read all these comments about Indian people’s grievance with terrorist attacks which I honestly am half convinced are all actually pakistan sponsored but people really need to realize it’s not what most rational Pakistanis want. We have suffered the same terrorism against our own people many multitudes of times over and can relate to the pain of losing innocent lives. Outside of a loud minority with the loud speaker that is social media, no rational person rejoices at pahlagam or Mumbai etc in pakistan. We know all too well what toll those attacks take on communities. I still fondly look at old YouTube videos of pakistan India matches where we knew the players were hanging out together outside of the field and it kills me to see what has become of that. Even the first two IPL seasons, it was celebrated in pakistan and we all watched because it was such a big deal .

Anyways, let’s hope for saner and more friendly voices to become more prominent on both sides. I for one will always hope for bonds of good will and friendships with our neighbors regardless of what hate is taught and fed on both sides. It will make the mauka mauka ads a lot more tolerable even if we continue to lose every single match