2024-02-19 02:47:26
Islamabad: Indian tennis team has gone on tour to Pakistan for Davis Cup competition. After 60 years, India has reached Pakistan for this tournament. In Pakistan, the Indian team is getting security like the President. After reaching Pakistan, former captain of Pakistan Davis Cup team Hamid Ul Haq came to meet the Indian team. Hamid ul Haq got lost in the window of memories after meeting the Indian team captain and coach Zeeshan Ali.
Hamid Ul Haq said that for him, meeting Indian coach and captain Zeeshan Ali in Islamabad was like meeting his long-lost brother again. The former captain of Pakistan’s Davis Cup team, who visited Bengaluru about 36 years ago, remembers well how Zeeshan’s father, the late Akhtar Ali, looked after Pakistan players. He also remembers the incident when he went to Trivandrum without a visa but a DIG (Deputy Inspector General of Police) sent him back without bothering him.
Hamid ul Haq has turned 62
Now 62, Hamid is still thankful to Indian player Srinivasan Vasudevan, who took him to his home in 1987 when he was struggling to find accommodation in Bengaluru. He had gone to this city to compete in a ‘satellite tournament’. Hamid said that the food in Delhi was as spicy as it was in Karachi. Hamid, who was awarded the Pride of Performance (a title in Pakistan) in the year 2000, is very happy that the Indian tennis team has come to Pakistan.
He said, ‘Now when I am meeting the Indian contingent here in Islamabad, it feels as if I am meeting my own brothers who were separated. Coach Zeeshan Ali is a very good friend of mine. His father Akhtar Ali also helped us a lot. He was like a father and coach to us, he was helping the Pakistanis a lot.
Zeeshan defeated Hamid in Asia Cup
He said, ‘During the Asia Cup in Dubai, I lost to Zeeshan in the semi-finals. I have played against him in Lahore also. I knew he was coming, I was waiting for him excitedly. I would like to take her to my home and help her see the city, but you know, that is not possible under the current circumstances. Due to diplomatic tensions between India and Pakistan, applicants from both countries get city-specific visas.’
Hameed, who played Davis Cup for Pakistan between 1984 and 1997, had traveled to Delhi for the Asian Games in 1982 and shared memories of those days. He said, ‘When I go to India, I do not feel that I am in a foreign land. India and Pakistan are similar. The language, food, dress, everything of both the countries is similar. The spicy food we eat in Karachi, we get the same taste in Delhi also.
Hamid remembers his visit to India
He said, ‘I went to Bombay (now Mumbai), Bangalore (now Bengaluru) and Trivandrum for satellite tournaments in 1987. I was having trouble getting accommodation and when Indian player Vasudevan came to know about it, he took me to his house without caring about security concerns. Hamid’s father Siraj Ul Haq was one of the finest tennis players of undivided India. He also played hockey. A championship between amateurs and professional players was organized to raise funds during World War II. Siraj was the best professional player at that time while Ghaus Mohammed was the best amateur player.
Hamid said, ‘The matches were played in Bombay, Madras (now Chennai) and Lahore. My father used to talk about those days. He has also tried his hand in hockey and played the Aga Khan Gold Cup. He was a member of the first Muslim team to win this tournament in 1942. When asked about the upcoming match, Hamid said that Indian tennis has always been ahead of Pakistan tennis.
He said, ‘We have learned a lot from Indian tennis. When Anil Khanna was at the top, he supported us a lot. We have got some good results on grass courts, but the Indian team is also very good on this surface. He said, ‘I think India has a better chance of winning this match, but Pakistan has two very experienced players in the form of Akil Khan and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi. If these two play singles, the competition will be tough.