KOLKATA: They could be breathing down each others’ necks in their marquee World T20 clash on Saturday, but a few of Indian and Pakistani cricketers showed great camaraderie and friendship as they trained simultaneously at the same venue on Thursday.
Indian left-handed batsman Suresh Raina and senior Pakistani allrounder Shoaib Malik were seen hugging and patting each other, shaking hands during optional practice sessions, making it a perfect photo opportunity ahead of their much-hyped Super 10 Group 2 match at the Eden Gardens. Seeing the left-hander, Malik came to greet him as the duo were seen engaged in talks for a few minutes before going back to each other’s camp as both the rivals camps had simultaneous session. A day after their morale-boosting 55-run victory over Bangladesh, the Pakistan team had a training session without some of their batsmen and bowlers, while India had Raina, Ajinkya Rahane and Pawan Negi in their session conducted by batting coach Sanjay Bangar.
Malik, who too had come under fire along with skipper Shahid Afridi for their “more love in India than in Pakistan” comments, also gave away his pair of gloves to the local seamer Rajiv Keshri and obliged them with selfies.(PTI)