However, not long after India had sealed their win, they boarded the bus and sped away from the ground. Pakistan, in contrast, sent Azhar Ali and Shadab Khan to mingle and chat about the game
India captain Virat Kohli (right) greets Pakistan players after the match on Sunday. Pic/AFP
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A look at the scorecard of India's Super Sunday Special against Pakistan at Edgbaston will tell you that Virat Kohli's team won by 124 runs. In the context of a tournament where every match is a virtual knockout, against the old enemy, this should have been cause for outrageous celebration.
Yet, when the match ended, it was difficult to tell which team had won and which had lost. The International Cricket Council, long derided for being old-fashioned and not keeping up with the times, introduced the Mixed Zone, where players from the teams involved in a match would interact with journalists after battle was done.
However, not long after India had sealed their win, they boarded the bus and sped away from the ground. Pakistan, in contrast, sent Azhar Ali, the opening batsman, and Shadab Khan, the teen leg- spinner, to mingle and chat about the game. Only minutes before that, Mickey Arthur, Pakistan's coach, was roasted in a press conference. Not only was he asked to take blame for the defeat, there were several questions that forced him to say that his players were being insulted by the pointed barbs. At several points Arthur looked like he might break into tears.
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Contrast that with Virat Kohli, and even if you say to the victor the spoils, the love-fest that the Indian captain was treated to when he addressed the media was mildly amusing. At the end of India's thumping win against Pakistan, a journalist approached Kohli to tell him what a difference 24 hours makes in Indian cricket. The Indian captain was about to reply, but had to settle for a wry smile when the security officer whisked him away. "This is the difference between India and Pakistan," said a Pakistani-origin English journalist, soon after India's Mixed Zone interaction was a non-starter. "We have big hearts. Even after losing our boys are here to face the music."
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