Meet The Indian Fans Who Arrived Four Hours Before Start Of India-Pakistan Match Khaleej Times

Despite the uproar in India and calls for a boycott, many UAE-based Indian fans arrived as early as 2 pm at the Dubai International Stadium for the high-voltage India-Pakistan match in the Asia Cup.

As the long line of people was waiting under the scorching sun, what truly struck the onlookers was the massive number of fans wearing the blue Indian jersey.

There were hardly any Pakistanis among the early arrivals for a match which started at 6:30 pm.

Among the fans to arrive early was Manoj Kumar, an Indian expat who travelled from Abu Dhabi for this match.

While sharing the sentiments of his countrymen, Kumar said no team can avoid any team in an international tournament.

“On the back of our mind, there were some questions as well,” said Kumar, who bought the ticket on Wednesday.

“As Indians, cricket is an emotion. But what has happened in recent months (the terror attack) really broke our hearts. I agree with the public sentiment in India.

“But here it's an international tournament. Pakistan is not the only team here; there are seven other teams. So, I personally feel we cannot avoid any team in international events.”

Tarun Bhateja, another Indian expat, admitted that some of his friends taunted him for buying a ticket to attend Sunday's match.

But his response silenced everyone who had questioned his patriotism.

“The Indian government allowed the cricket team to play in this Asia Cup and play this match against Pakistan. And I am always with my government,” he said.

“And we are here to support our national team and boost the morale of our players. So, as fans of the Indian cricket team, we should always be there to support our team when they are playing.”

Paras Rangrej and his friend Surender Juneja said living in the UAE has taught them to respect people from all countries.

“Yes, we are Indians, and we agree with the public sentiment in India. But at the same time, we live in the UAE where we work with a lot of people from other countries, including Pakistan, and we have never had problems with anyone,” Juneja said.

“So we are always with our country, and today we are here to support our team. Living in the UAE also allows us to watch these big matches. So, it's great for us as cricket fans.”

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