Cricket is like a religion in India. Cricket craze is also found in the neighboring country of Pakistan. Whenever the teams from the two countries face each other on the field, the atmosphere becomes exciting. Nationalism speaks loudly. Victory and defeat in a match is like winning and losing between two countries.
Consider how cricket would have been in the subcontinent 70 years ago?
There was no Pakistan at that time. The territories that are today in Pakistan were part of India and at that time there was only one cricket team, the Indian team.
India had achieved the status of Test cricket in 1932. In the 1930s, the Indian cricket team played several Test series against England at their home ground and in which India could not win any of the matches. .
The situation changed when the country was partitioned. The team that was once united, split into two. Many players of the Indian team went to Pakistan. Players who once played together became rivals.
One such player was Amir Elahi. He used to play for Baroda team. During this period, the Baroda team was more or less the Indian cricket team.
After the partition of India, Amir Elahi went to Pakistan. When the country was partitioned, Amir Elahi decided to go to Pakistan.
After partition, India and Pakistan formed their own separate teams.
Amir Elahi's grandson Manan Ahmed is currently teaching at Columbia University in America. He was interviewed by Kanishk Tharoor for the BBC.
Manan said that his grandfather Amir Elahi was not a great cricketer. Neither did he perform great feats on the field of play. He was an average player who bowled a bit and batted when given the chance. Overall he was a team player.
But according to Manan, Amir Elahi was a big supporter of Pakistan. That is why when the country was partitioned, he left his team and went to Pakistan. Later he was selected in the Pakistan team.
In 1953-19 Pakistan team visited India for the first time. Amir Elahi also came to India on this visit. Here he met his old teammates, old memories were rekindled. But in this first visit of the Pakistan team to India, the spirit of victory for their own country was intense.
Manan Ahmed says that Amir Elahi also wanted the Pakistan team to beat the Indian cricket team in the first tour but it could not happen. That tour was in the name of India. The performance of Amir Elahi himself has not been very good.
Amir Elahi played a total of six matches in his career, one of which was for the United India. He scored 65 runs and took seven wickets in five matches for Pakistan.
Even in later days, Amir Elahi tried to do something for cricket in his country.
Reminiscing his childhood days, Manan Ahmed says that when he started playing cricket, his grandmother gave him his grandfather's kit. But Manan Ahmed did not use it.
However, he used his grandfather's sweater. He said: 'It felt great to wear the sweater.' He felt that he was the best player in the team.
Apart from Amir Elahi, Abdul Hafeez Kardar and Gul Mohammad are players who have played Tests for both India and Pakistan.
Amir Elahi kept his cricket equipment very carefully. Manan Ahmed says that once a man came to him. He said that he is going to open a cricket museum in Lahore. Hearing this, Amir Elahi also gave him all his belongings. The man disappeared with all the goods. The museum was never built and the man was never seen again.
Manan Ahmed says that those things might have been sold in the black market.
Cricket has come a long way since the partition of India and Pakistan. Both countries have become World champion. Even in mutual competition, sometimes one team falls heavily and sometimes the other.
But it is not without interest to think today that among the players called enemies, there were some who used to play for the same team.
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