What’s the story?
Sarfraz Ahmed’s uncle, Mehboob Hasan, will be cheering for Virat Kohli’s India against his nephew’s Pakistan in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy on Sunday (June 18).
Hasan, who lives in the city of Etawah in Uttar Pradesh, is confident of India’s chances in the final and believes that his nephew’s team is not as strong as the Men in Blue. “His team cannot match our team. I always root for Team India. We have better players and our team is superior. I can bet that India will win the trophy,” he said.
When asked about the pressure on the Pakistan skipper at this moment, he said: “Where is the pressure? He (Sarfraz) is playing for his team. I am happy he is doing so well in life and cricket.”
Also read: Indian fans defend Sarfraz Ahmed against trolls
The details
Sarfraz’s mother, who moved to Karachi after her marriage, is still in touch with her brother through Skype. Even the Pakistan captain Sarfraz, who has met his uncle just three times till date, is still very attached to him.
Hasan met his nephew in Chandigarh last year when Pakistan took on Australia in the ICC World Twenty20.
Hasan also went on to reminisce that Sarfraz’s grandmother (Hasan’s mother) always worried about his (Sarfraz’s) love for cricket, dreading that he would end up hitting someone with his bat.
Also read: 5 reasons why Pakistan can beat India in the final
In case you didn’t know...
India beat Bangladesh in the semi-final of the tournament after Pakistan reached the final by defeating the Eoin Morgan-led England. The arch-rivals will now face each other again at The Oval in London for a chance to win the coveted trophy.
The two teams met in the group stage of the tournament on June 4 where India won by a massive margin of 124 runs. Since then though, Pakistan have been rampant, overcoming strong oppositions like South Africa, Sri Lanka and finally England.
What’s next?
The head-to-head between India and Pakistan matches in the Champions Trophy is tied at 2-all. Thus, after the final, one team would gain an edge over the other. This will be a fiery encounter that is sure to keep all the fans, including Sarfraz’s uncle, on their toes throughout the length of the match.
Author’s take
Hasan’s pride in his nephew is apparent, but the way he sticks by his team despite the conflict of interest is heart-warming. We hope that Hasan gets the perfect outcome on Sunday with India successfully defending their title and Sarfraz performing admirably with the bat.
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