Cricket fans in both India and Pakistan remember a period when the two nuclear-armed nations’ relations were less tense and cricket teams often visited each other’s countries.
When a photo of former Pakistan sprinter Wasim Akram went viral on Twitter, the memories were rekindled. The photo, which was shared by an Indian host, shows a shirtless Wasim Akram standing next to Gautam Bhimani, with the tweet implying that the Pakistani players had previously played Holi with the Indian team.
Pakistan played five Test matches and six One Day Internationals in India in 1987.
The Men in Green dominated the Test series 1-0 after a 16-run victory in the series’ final match after the previous four games were all drawn.
My favourite cricketing #Holi memory! The Indian and Pakistani teams playing Holi in the pool of @TajWestEnd Also the first time I met @wasimakramlive #INDvsENG #indvpak #HappyHoli pic.twitter.com/waXU7DjrIO
— Gautam Bhimani (@gbhimani) March 28, 2021
Gautam Bhimani, an Indian sports host, captioned the throwback photo: “My favorite #experience! In the pool of @TajWestEnd, Indian and Pakistani teams are playing Holi. I have met @wasimakramlive for the first time.”
Wasim replied to the tweet with a fond recollection of the memories: “Have a wonderful Holi! What a day the 87th tour of India was.”
Happy Holi . What a day that was 87 tour of india. https://t.co/IV8QsP0Yko
— Wasim Akram (@wasimakramlive) March 28, 2021
Cricket fans from both countries were ecstatic to see the picture, with many lamenting the fact that the two sides had not played a bilateral series in recent years.
“From the Indian and Pakistani teams playing Holi to Not playing Cricket, We all grew up!” Rakesh Kulkarni said in response to the Twitter tweet.
