Now comes Indo-Pak rugby

Action packed! That’s how the Indo-Pakistan rivalry has always been, be it on the field or off it. It’s never short of drama, aggression and excitement. Watching the two countries clash in any sport gives both the players and the spectators an adrenaline rush alike. It will be no different when India and Pakistan renew their sporting ties at the Asian Five Nations rugby tournament in Malaysia on May 30.

For India skipper Nasser Hussain, any game against Pakistan is in a league of its own. “An Indo-Pak match in any sport is big. It’s a game within a game. It’s a tough competition regardless of the sport you are playing because it’s an India-Pakistan game. Basically, your pride is at stake. No one wants to lose against a team from Pakistan.”

So, is it any different from a cricket match between the two countries? “There’s obviously the rivalry. Like cricket, here too there’s always a heated competition. It does get fairly aggressive but that’s part of the sport,” says Hussain.

What about the pressure? “There’s not a lot of pressure. But it’s easier to get the boys more focussed and charged because we are playing Pakistan. You don’t really need to do much because they know we are playing against a green jersey. It adds to the excitement.”

Hussain, however, emphasises on the fact that it’s just healthy competition as off the field the players share a pleasant bond. “We know the guys pretty well. We have played against them a few times, played with a couple of their players in the same team at social games. But when we don the India colours, all we can think of is winning for the country.”

With India having a 100% win record against their arch-rivals, the 32-year-old Hussain is confident of keeping their winning run intact. “We want to go in there and try and maintain our undefeated record. Pak players are normally big in size but not very fit. So, it’s about wearing them down in the initial part of the game. In terms of confidence, the morale is quite high. Things are coming together. We are not overconfident. We will give it our best shot,” the skipper adds.

Having been relegated to the third division last year, Hussain & Co will have to come up with a stellar performance to make the far-fetched dream of qualifying for the World Cup a reality. As far as the match against Pakistan goes, Hussain has only these words to say, “Watch out for the blue jerseys!”