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International Domestic

A trip down memory lane

The stage is set. Eden Gardens is decked up and ready for the big clash between two giants of international cricket - India and Pakistan. In the lead up to the game there have been talks, banters, sledging and an age old rivalry that will be brewed yet again on Saturday night. We, at BCCI.TV decided to ask two senior pros in the India side - Harbhajan Singh and Ashish Nehra - to relive some of their memorable India-Pakistan games that they had been a part of.

ā€œIt is difficult to pin point one, I have been a part of lot of India-Pakistan games, in the World Cup and in bilateral series,ā€ Nehra said, jogging down the memory lane.

ā€œThe 2003 World Cup clash against Pakistan was really special. The 2011 World Cup semi-final was very special. But in 200,4 when we toured Pakistan, the kind of love that we got from the country was immense. I think we toured Pakistan after more than 10 years and that tour was one of my memorable tours. In the first game of the series, I bowled the last over in Karachi and that is a memory that will always remain with me. The entire tour was a really great experience.ā€

For Harbhajan, it was a mix of the 2003 World Cup and the epic Test match in Kolkata in 1999. ā€œI will choose the 2003 World Cup game, when Pakistan scored about 276 and we chased those runs,ā€ Harbhajan said. ā€œThe way we batted in the run-chase was outstanding. Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar set up the platform for the chase against the likes of Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar who were at their best at that point of time. That is one of my favorite India-Pakistan games.ā€

Going further back in time, Bhajji recounted, ā€œI was around 18 or 19 years old when I played my first game against Pakistan. It was a Test match and Anil Kumble took 10 wickets in an innings and at that time it was a very different experience to play against Pakistan. The pressure was huge, emotions were different and it is always a different ball game when you play against Pakistan. I feel all those things have changed quite a lot over the years. It is a bit easier than what it was earlier; still it is a big game no matter what stage it is.ā€

ā€œIndia-Pakistan is always a big game and it will be a fantastic atmosphere in a venue like Eden Gardens,ā€ butted in Nehra. ā€œThere are some players who take the big stage very seriously and they will prepare differently. A World Cup is a big game and if the youngsters perform in the big stage, it will be big boost for them in the years to come. When you are playing for a country, it can’t get bigger than this. There will always be butterflies, but it is up to you how you handle it. I see these big games as just another game, but it is always important to keep things simple.ā€

Harbhajan on the other hand, wanted the Eden romance to continue. ā€œThis is one of my favorite stadiums and close to 80-90000 people are expected to come to watch the exciting game between two big sides. It is an important game for us and we know that Pakistan will be up for it as well. We have done really well against Pakistan, but I don’t live in the past. Whatever happened has happened. We did lose the last game, but that does not mean that we can’t come here and win a crucial game. We have got the team who can deliver at any sort of pressure situation. We are looking forward to the game and if we play to our potential, we will get the result we are looking for.ā€