Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has expressed his gratitude to Indian people for the “heartwarming reception” for its cricket team, who arrived at Hyderabad late on Wednesday evening amid tight security for the Cricket World Cup (CWC) set to kick-off on 5 October.
In a message on social media platform X on Thursday, Zardari expressed confidence about Pakistan team’s good performance in the biggest cricket tournament.
The reception in India has also “overwhelmed” the Pakistan cricketers, according to the Pakistan team captain and star batter Babar Azam.
“Overwhelmed with the love and support here in Hyderabad,” Azam posted on Instagram.
A video shared by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) showed fans at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport excitedly shouting the names of Azam and other Pakistani cricketers as they stepped out of the airport.
“Great welcome thus far,” southpaw pacer Shaheen Afridi shared Instagram.
Pakistan is scheduled to play two-warm up matches in Hyderabad before opening its World Cup encounter with a match against Netherlands.
Pakistan-India Cricket Ties
One of the most riveting cricket rivalries in the world, cricketing ties between the two countries have been affected due to political tensions between the subcontinental neighbours.
India accused Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism, while Islamabad downgraded its diplomatic ties with New Delhi over the Indian parliament’s decision to revoke the semi-autonomous status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
India and Pakistan haven’t played in a bilateral series for over a decade and have only played in multi-team tournaments. The last time both the teams came face-to-face was during the Asia Cup this month.
The current visit of the Pakistani team to India is the first in seven years. The last time it was in India was during the T20 World Cup in 2016.
In the lead-up to the World Cup, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) that Pakistani team will be treated “as per the norm” like any other team participating in the tournament, while responding to concerns over security raised in sections of Pakistani establishment.
Before departing for Hyderabad, Pakistani cricket team’s management told local media in Lahore that they had been assured of full security measures by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).