Asia Cup 2018, India vs Pakistan: India superfan Sudhir Gautam with Pakistan superfan Bashir Chacha. (Source: Twitter/Sudhir Gautam)
India and Pakistan share an intense cricketing rivalry on the field. But off the field, the players have maintained camaraderie, much of which was shared by both the country’s superfans – Bashir Chacha and Sudhir Gautam. According to a report by xtratime.in, India superfan Sudhir was helped by Pakistan’s superfan Bashir Chacha to attend India’s matches at the Asia Cup in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The report also states that Sudhir had no money to afford the trip to Dubai. But with Bashir’s help, Sudhir could manage the flight tickets, food and stay in the country.
“It’s pure love. You know the money will come and go with Allah’s grace. I told Sudhir you just come here and I will take care of everything. I am not a rich person but my heart is as big as an ocean. If I help you, Allah will be happy,” Bashir was quoted as saying by xtratime.in.
Sudhir further added: “I handled the visa, chacha handled the tickets just for me to cheer for Team India. Chachaji also took care of everything, including the hotel and my food,” he said.
India and Pakistan met each other for the first time on Wednesday since Pakistan defeated India to lift the Champions League 2017 Trophy last year. With the help of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Kedar Jadhav who took three wickets each, India bowled out Pakistan for 162. In reply, openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan gave a strong start, as the men in Blue chased down the target with 8 wickets in hand. India and Pakistan will meet again on Sunday in Asia Cup Super Fours match.