November 24, 2007	Saturday	Ziqa’ad 13, 1428

NEW DELHI, Nov 23: Their is no dearth of supporters for the Pakistan team here while a number of Indian fans also cheered for Shoaib Malik and Co. during the first cricket Test at the Feroz Shah Kotla.

In a crowd of almost 15,000, a number of Pakistani flags waved at every hit to the fence while many showed support to the visitors by painting the crescent and star on their cheeks. Surprisingly, a number of them turned out to be Indians. “We are Indians but our Pakistani friends have come to watch the match and so we are supporting them,” said one fan, who was accompanying Shoaib Malik’s elder brother Imran.

Imran said he usually felt homesick when away for longer durations but this time he was feeling at home in India. “I feel very homesick whenever I am away but this time I have no such feeling. In fact, I am feeling as if I am at home,” he said.

A young girl from Delhi, who accompanied her cousin from Pakistan, said they were here to support both teams. “I am supporting both India and Pakistan,” she said. “I have managed autographs from Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Yousuf, Shoaib and so many other players,” said the girl while flashing her photograph of Shoaib Akhtar.

Another student from Pakistan said: “I am a fan of Shoaib Akhtar. He is from my city, Rawalpindi. I hope he steers our team to victory.”—Agencies