After receiving an enthusiastic welcome upon arrival, the team left the city echoing the same warmth, winning for the second time
Shashank Kishore
Urooj Mumtaz: Part of the entertainment of Mohammad Rizwan’s game
Urooj Mumtaz talks about an effective and eventful century from Mohammad Rizwan
The Pakistan team arrived in Hyderabad two weeks ago and received a grand welcome at the airport. They resonate the same warmth and will leave town on Wednesday with two wins.
The second of those, on Tuesday night, was special. A huge crowd of nearly 25,000 witnessed Pakistan achieve their best success in the World Cup with 400 quality bats.
Mohammad Rizwan was nearing his century when the DJ revved up the crowd with the familiar chant of “Jeethega bhai Jeetega”, moments after he went limp and convulsed due to excruciating pain. They perfected it with ‘Pakistan Jeetega’. The moment was not lost on anyone. Even Babar Azam, who was sitting on the steps of the pavilion and engrossed in the action, chuckled. It was unlike anything else.
Hostility in Hyderabad towards Pakistan team? Not a chance. Fans traveled from far and wide to watch King Babar play, some even traveling 850 kilometers from Bhopal. I felt the same love and warmth from the Pakistani team.
When Rizwan arrived at the training session before toss time, the head curator told him, “Rizwan, 200 people have come.” After Rizwan saw his hometown in Pakistan, he remembered those words. Much after the enthusiastic reception, he accompanied Shaheen Afridi to the center and posed for photos with all the ground staff and thanked them for their hard work.
“When we entered the ground this afternoon, the curator said we needed to score 200. I met him afterwards and we bonded not only with him but with the people. They performed dua (prayers) for us.” And we did the same for them. ”
Rizwan described the reception as “incredible” and compared the atmosphere to playing in a packed venue in his hometown. He used the word mohabbat (love/admiration) many times to describe his feelings at the time. Just an hour ago, he collapsed pitchside, his gloves ripped off and he slumped flat on the ground. Adrenaline was the only thing keeping him going. Thanks to the “magic liquid” he recovered and slowly but surely destroyed his targets, first Saud Shakir and then Iftikhar Ahmed.
“It felt like we were playing in Rawalpindi,” he said of the atmosphere. “It was great that the crowd gave us Mohabbat, not just for me and the Pakistan team, but also for the Sri Lankan team. It was a lot of fun. I say Rawalpindi from an atmosphere point of view because the noise level Because it was something like that. Lahore is a little bit bigger so there are a lot more people. It felt like a home match for us.”
Rizwan continued with questions about love and admiration. For a moment you thought he was going to get tired of answering variations of the same question. He was asked if he had ever visited the Char Minar, his famous 15th-century monument in the Old Town, an area known for its color, flavor, and of course, food. He was asked where they had been off the ground and what else they were doing.
Rizwan patiently answered the questions, joking that he had forgotten the first part of the questions that seemed to go on and on until he decided to start answering them anyway. “We went to… oh, that restaurant… Jewel blah… no, not Char Minar.”
About now Rizwan suddenly remembered that there was another part of the question that he had forgotten to answer. For a moment, it felt like this was the culmination of a grand wedding celebration, with guests leaving town having experienced unparalleled warmth and hospitality.
“Sawaal ka jawab agal bhool gaye toh bata dijiyega. Chaar sawal ka jawab agar bhool gaye toh bata dijiyega. Chaar sawal ka jawab agal bhool gaye toh bata dijiyega. Char sawal ka jawab agal bhool gaye toh bata dijiyega. Chaar sawal ka jawab agal bhool gaye toh bata dijiyega. Chaar sawal ka jawab agal bhool gaye toh bata dijiyega. Chaar sawaal ho gaye mele kayaal se. (If I forget to answer your question, let me remind you. I think you asked me four questions),” he laughed. Next came the cricket question. Rizwan was asked about what has changed in ODI cricket. How he adapted to the number four role and the adjustments he had to make.
“Nothing. All I know is effort,” he said wisely. “I believe in luck. When I started the inning today, the first edge of the three-and-out went over the head of the fielder. It could have been easy. I just believe in effort. I’ll leave the rest to God.” I haven’t done anything too different.
“When I was cramping, I tried not to take stupid shots in the moment. I’ve seen how difficult those situations are for players batting at No. 7 or No. 8. I was the first to experience it as the most important thing in my career. I didn’t want to give up his wicket. ”
What Rizwan gave to Hyderabad was a piece of his heart. He gave so much more in return. Walking in front of the selfie-seekers, he obliged them one by one, then downed more energy drinks and slowly basked in the silence of the empty stadium, closing his eyes and telling them that he loved him so much. I offered my final dua to the venue that was given to me.Return to the changing room one last time
It really was unlike any match in recent memory in India. Maybe it’s just a little bit special in terms of the quality of the batting, the chants, the colors, the atmosphere and of course the Mohabbat.
Shashank Kishore is Senior Deputy Editor at ESPNcricinfo