Cricket: Adding Different Dimension to Pakistan-India Relations

As the Pakistan cricket team stepped into the stadium this week in the northwestern Indian city of Mohali to begin a series of matches against the Indian team, the players knew they were entering more than just a sporting arena. Between any two other countries, the beginning of a series of cricket games would, at most, give rise to speculation by fans and commentators regarding possible sporting outcomes. But between traditional rivals Pakistan and India, who have fought three wars since 1947 and came to the brink of nuclear conflict in 1999 and 2002, cricket takes on a completely different dimension altogether.