'The way Abhishek and Shubman bat, it is like fire and ice.'
The manner in which India's openers Abhishek Sharma and Shuman Gill thrashed the Pakistan bowling was indeed destructive.
To further heat up the fire, Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf and Sharma had a heated exchange of words in the middle.
Both Sharma and Gill were groomed by Yuvraj Singh in Mohali, their hometown.
Fans will remember that Yuvraj hit six sixes in a single over against England's Stuart Broad at the 2007 T20 World Cup after a heated exchange with English all-rounder Andrew Flintoff.
Fire And Ice
Responding to this reporter's query to Suryakumar Yadav about Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill's fireworks, the phrase the Indian captain used was special.
When he was asked about the secret behind this combination that virtually hit every ball with ease, he first complimented the wicket and then the pair.
"When we played here last on the 14th, the wicket was a bit different. Today the wicket was even better from the batting point of view.
"It stayed the same till 40 overs. But the manner in which both of them bat, it is like fire and ice.
"They complement each other really well, and that is what I want to see if someone is batting really brilliantly, the other one can take a back seat, just rotate the strike, and thus maintain the flow.
"They both batted beautifully as it was very much required to have a very good start, and they gave us just that."
From where did SKY get the term Fire and Ice? It is from a famous poem by the American poet Robert Frost.
For Frost, fire symbolises desire and ice symbolises hate -- both destructive emotions.
It's great fun to watch an India-Pakistan match after talking to popular cheerleaders from both teams.
They ignite excitement with their positive remarks about their team's chances.
When I met Dhoni fan Ram Babu near the entrance to the stadium, he predicted that the India-Pakistan match would once again be a one-sided affair with India winning easily.
It was also interesting to take a photograph of Pakistan's cheerleader Shahbaz Shah and Babu greeting each other before the match.
They expressed no animosity and even shook hands!
Indifferent Ticket Sales For India-Pakistan Games
Suryakumar Yadav's remark that India-Pakistan clashes are no longer a rivalry may hurt ticket sales even if they meet in the Asia Cup 2025 final or in future matches.
"When the results are 7-all or 8-7, then it is a rivalry," Suryakumar told a Pakistani journalist at the post-match media interaction. "But when the stats show 13-0 or 10-1, one should not call it a rivalry."
This is the first tournament in which India-Pakistan match tickets were available even on the day of the match.
There was a time when tickets for a match between these two countries used to be sold in black for as much as ten times the actual cost of the ticket.
'Dude Dube We Love You'
When Pakistan opener Saim Ayub, after three consecutive ducks in this tournament, got off the mark in his fourth match with a four, an Indian in the press box said Ayub should take this match ball as a souvenir.
A Pakistani, responding to a spooned shot from Ayub falling behind the bowler Varun Chakaravarthy, said Indian fielders are dropping catches coming straight to them, so how can they take catches falling behind them?
When Shivam Dube took two quick wickets, a fan waved a small but hastily written banner: 'Dude Dube We Love You'.
A lady Indian supporter painted the Indian flag on all her nails and sat smiling, showing them off.
She managed to get the attention of the television cameraman, but what would she have done if the match had had a nail-biting finish?
Yorker Ka Sultan And Sultan Of Swing
Wasim Akram, as usual, mingled with journalists in the press box during his break from commentary.
While he was here, a banner flashed addressing Bumrah as 'Yorker Ka Sultan'.
One was reminded of the days when Akram made batters fear his swing, which earned him the title 'Sultan of Swing'.
Akram complimented Abhishek Sharma, stating that he is not a slogger but a genuine batter.
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff
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