DUBAI: The Dubai International Stadium was absolutely buzzing on the bright Sunday afternoon for India versus Pakistan. While the cricketing rivalry between these two countries doesn’t have that much of a history compared to the men’s game, the crowd showed up.
Precisely, a 15935-strong crowd cheered for both teams. Amongst them was the special group of players. They are the hosts, but on Sunday, the players from the UAE women’s cricket team were also the most excited spectators on the ground.
“It was a brilliant experience, “UAE’s spinner Vaishnave Mahesh told this daily after the match. “It is so lovely to watch the women’s game get so much crowd at the neutral venue. Ever since Asha (Joy) Di made it to the national team, I have watched her bowling closely, but today I observed it closely. I wanted to absorb as much as I could while watching today,” she added.
When asked about the standout moment of the game for the cricketers turned spectators, the two moments took the cake. Richa Ghosh’s diving catch to dismiss the opposition captain was closely followed by the two wickets Fatima took in an over to shift the momentum in Pakistan’s way.
UAE’s regular team manager, Subha Srinivasan, has been attached to the Indian team as a liaison officer and the team could not be proud of one of their own. As the Indian team was getting on the bus after the match, this group of players was there to cheer Srinivas.
