Veteran Indian fast bowler Ishant Sharma fondly recalled his tour of Pakistan, offering high praise for the country’s hospitality and its people on a recent Indian YouTube podcast.
Sharma emphasized his positive experience, saying, “We even went to Pakistan to play. They are not bad; in fact, they are very good people. They offer a good welcome and serve good food. We really enjoyed being with them.”
The fast bowler noted that the current animosity between the nations developed later. “This atmosphere (tension) between Pakistan and India developed now; initially, we used to play series together,” he stated.
Addressing the pressure of playing an Pakistan-India match, Sharma acknowledged it existed but remarked on the intensity of past contests. “The pressure in a match against Pakistan is quite high,” he admitted.
However, he added, “I think the pressure of the earlier Pakistan-India matches was much more because the Indian team played against a Pakistani team that included players like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi, Saqlain Mushtaq, and Inzamam-ul-Haq; they were all great players.”
Ishant Sharma was part of the Indian squad when Pakistan hosted the Asia Cup in 2008.