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Matches between India and Pakistan have always been fiery affairs, if not on the pitch then among the fans. And the rivalry is set to continue between the two sides when they take the field in the Asia Cup Group A opening fixture. The last time that these two sides met was in the 2021 T20 World Cup, and Pakistan, led by skipper Babar Azam and pacer Shaheen Afridi, demolished the Indian batters to secure a massive 10-wicket victory over their rivals.
Ahead of the mega clash, Aaj Tak along with Pakistan's Sama TV caught up with former India spinner Harbhajan Singh in Dubai, and former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi in Pakistan. During the conversation, Harbhajan recalled an incident from the 2003 ICC ODI World Cup, when some banter between the two teams turned into a serious fight in the lunch room.
"During the 2003 World Cup that was being played in South Africa, I was benched and in place of me, Anil Kumble was playing in the game against Pakistan. India was batting first at the Centurion, and the Pakistan side was pretty strong with all their deadly fast bowlers Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, and Shoaib Akhtar playing. In that match, I think 270 runs were made. So the match was under our control. Lunch was in the common area in those days," he said.
"All of the Indian players were on one side and the players of Pakistan were sitting on the other side. There was laughter but in between all this, a spate of abuse started from both sides. At this point, I lost my cool and I charged at Mohammad Yusuf with a fork, while he did the same. Seeing such a hot atmosphere, Saeed Anwar caught Yusuf and I was caught by Srinath and then the matter cooled down. At this point Anwar said that you guys are friends so such actions do not present either country as good," Harbhajan further added.
After back-to-back series wins over England, West Indies, and Zimbabwe, India is all set to face their rivals in the much-awaited clash. All eyes will be on Kohli because of his form, and Rohit Sharma, with the latter looking to win his second Asia Cup as India's skipper.
