It was indeed a heroic effort on the part of the Indo – Pak pair in the finals of the US Open men’s doubles finals yesterday. The intensity of the finals was nothing short of breathtaking, with electric reflexes, booming serves, great anticipation and precise coordination. Bopanna – Qureshi were obviously not intimidated or over awed by their much more accomplished opponents. while the former were playing in their first grand slam finals, the latter were the holders of eight major titles. the hallmark of the match was the fact that none of the two teams could break their opponent’s serve even once. As it turned out, the outcome was decided in the Russian Roulette of tie breakers in both sets. However, as the match statistics would reveal, there was hardly anything to choose between the two teams.
The spinoff of the Indo – Pak duo’s partnership was that, at least for some time it made Indian and Pakstani fans in New York forget their animosity and join hands to cheer the team. Much as media and certain individuals, hail the partnership as a step towards improving relations between India and Pakistan, it is nothing more than a partnership of convenience. And in any event it would take much more than a tennis partnership to propel the two countries towards peace and friendship.
Notwithstanding the same, let us hope that Indo Pak express, as they are fondly called, continue to do well and give us that elusive opportunity to rejoice in sporting excellence by our countrymen, particularly in a sport other than cricket.
Wishing the Indo – Pak Express much greater success and glory in times to come.
