Press Trust of India
Kolkata, March 17: They could be breathing down each others’ necks in their marquee World T20 clash here Saturday, but a few of Indian and Pakistani cricketers showed Thursday great camaraderie and friendship as they trained simultaneously at the Eden Gardens here.
Indian left-handed batsman Suresh Raina and senior Pakistani all-rounder 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 match.
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 rival teams 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 at the nets 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 a pair of gloves to local seamer Rajiv Keshri and obliged the other net bowlers with selfies.