Duo hopes to inspire peace, parties in India and Pakistan

[sonicboom]

Duo hopes to inspire peace, parties in India and Pakistan

January 15, 2011

Fans from two nations cheer with one voice when this team plays, writes Michael Cowley.

PAKISTAN cricket tragic Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and his father had just watched his Pakistan cricket team lose to arch rivals India. What made the loss more painful for Qureshi jnr was he was in Mumbai, surrounded by a room full of jubilant Indians. Half an hour later, they were cheering for him.

''We were playing in a tour event in Mumbai, and the cricket was on, and it was just me and my father in a room with 100 Indians,'' Qureshi said yesterday. ''Unfortunately, we lost, then half an hour later Rohan and I had to go and play our match.

''It was incredible. The fans had Pakistani flags painted on one side of their faces and Indian flags on the other side, and Indian people were holding Pakistani flags and vice versa. It was unbelievable.''

Advertisement: Story continues below Totally unbelievable considering the blood feud between the nations. In 1947, when British rule ended, India and Pakistan became separate countries, and have been warring ever since.

The reason behind the peacefire in Mumbai and now around the world wherever they play is that the Rohan, whom Qureshi mentions is his doubles partner, Rohan Bopanna, an Indian.

The pair met in 1996 when Qureshi was in India playing junior tennis. Once they both turned professional, they drifted towards each other.

''It was easier for me to hang out with him rather than other foreigners, because we had the same culture and same background, same language. It was easy in that way,'' Qureshi, a Muslim, said of Bopanna, a Hindu.

They would eventually team up for doubles, and had some success on satellite tours, before hitting the ATP Tour in 2007, when more interest of their partnership was sparked.

''Growing up, I played with a lot of Indians because that was the easiest thing for me,'' Qureshi said. ''Rohan came along in 2003, and we started playing together on the circuit. For me it was always about playing with friends. It was never a political statement.''

At Wimbledon last year, the pair wore jackets stating ''Stop War, Start Tennis''. Again, said Bopanna, not political, simply the way they feel.

''We're just two guys trying to help each other in our respective careers,'' he said. ''Tennis comes first. When people come and watch us play there are so many Indian and Pakistanis sitting together cheering for the same cause, so it feels like the message is getting across.''

Qureshi added: ''A lot of Indians come and ask me for my autograph the same way a lot of Pakistanis come and ask Rohan for his. I feel we do help people change their minds a little bit about Pakistanis and Indians. I'm not saying we don't have political differences but if we do help change a few people's minds, that's a very positive thing.''

Like it or not, the pair have become diplomats, and the bigger the stage they play upon, the more recognition they will receive. Last year, they made the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, and then the final of the US Open.

''That was a life-turning experience,'' Qureshi said. ''We lost, but the whole experience was amazing. I now get more recognised in my country, and Pakistan being a cricket-loving nation, it's always been hard for me to get recognised as a tennis player. I always thank him [Bopanna] for helping me out in that manner as well. Last year, he was the most popular Indian in Pakistan, much more popular than the Bollywood actors. All the tennis fans, everybody knows him.''

The pair lost their semi-final at the Sydney International yesterday, to Czech Republic's Lukas Dlouhy and Australian Paul Hanley 7-5, 4-6, 10-8, but take confidence into next week's Australian Open.

''We have great belief in ourselves now. We can beat any team out there. When we play our game at the highest level and play our best tennis, on any given day, we have a chance with anyone,'' Qureshi said.

''The last two grand slams have been great. I just hope we can go one better. Then we can have two parties to celebrate, one in Pakistan and one in India.''

Cricket | Duo hopes to inspire peace in India & Pakistan