A few hundred metres separate the two multi-star properties where the India and Pakistan teams have been accommodated on Galle Face Green, Colombo’s most cherished beachfront.
There’s little to suggest that the players might want to bump into each other during a leisurely stroll along the promenade. Or that Jasprit Bumrah might be keen to reciprocate Shaheen Shah Afridi’s gesture of presenting him with a gift for his newborn at this very Premadasa Stadium three years ago.
The teams didn’t cross each other’s path when Suryakumar Yadav led the Indian players to an evening practice session on Saturday. Salman Agha’s side had left almost an hour earlier, precluding the chances of an impromptu meeting.
Whether it’s the city’s bustling neighbourhoods of Pettah and Independence Square or the more modern cafés and pubs across Lotus Tower, they have been largely taken over by Indian fans who have jetted across continents to be here for the high-octane clash.
“Cricket’s pilgrimage” is how one of the waiting Indian supporters, who had travelled from the US, described his visit to an associate from Nashik when they chanced on each other at a restaurant near Cinnamon Gardens.
Sport can breach barriers and bring people together. Colombo isn’t just hosting an India-Pakistan game, it’s building emotions and hoping the atmosphere will be tension-free and perhaps mark a fresh beginning amid the climate of acrimony and suspicion since Pahalgam and Operation Sindoor.
If the Surya versus Babar (Azam) debate is never-ending, so is the speculation over Abhishek Sharma’s availability for Sunday’s match. The arrival of Abhishek’s
parents, besides his fluency at the nets on Saturday, has triggered hope that he may be fit to open the innings.
Pakistan supporters will be easily outnumbered on match evening although many of the Indian fans have arrived here without a ticket, hoping to somehow find one. The black market is thriving outside the ground, with tickets for the ordinary seats selling for more than $800.
While this may be cricket’s most-cherished rivalry, the buzz is not all about the result: many seem ready to place a bet on the chances of the captains shaking hands after the toss.
“The game should be played in the same spirit (as tradition demands). (But) what I expect, obviously, does not matter,” the Pakistan captain said.
Pakistan captain Salman Agha added: “But I feel that the game should be played the same way as it has been since the beginning of cricket. The rest is up to them and whatever they want to do.”
The Indian captain, who had refused a handshake with his Pakistani opposite number at the Asia Cup in the UAE last September, kept up the suspense on Saturday.
“Just wait for 24 hours... you will get to know everything,” Surya said.
Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi is already in Colombo. There is talk that during a sessionon Saturday, he told the players to take the field “in the right spirit”.
Last week’s discussions between the ICC and the PCB, which resolved the standoff over the match after a boycott threat from Pakistan, too, are believed to have generated positive vibes.
ICC chairman Jay Shah and BCCI bigwigs are expected to be present in full strength. This, too, increases the chances of having a friendlier atmosphere — the high-stakes contest is expected to generate over 20 per cent of the ICC’s total revenue from the tournament.
The build-up has been headline-making, but the weather could play spoilsport. A few drops of rain fellduring India’s match-eve practice, and a low-pressuresystem is developing in the Bay of Bengal.
There’s a prediction of scattered rain till 8pm on Sunday, throwing up the possibilities of a truncated encounter or a delayed start.
A washout will leave both teams with one point each, since there are no reserve days for the group league fixtures.
