Cricket matches between India and Pakistan have produced plenty of tense moments on the field. However, off the field, there has usually been a cordial relationship between the players of both sides. Nevertheless, sometimes there have been incidents that produced another kind of tension that had nothing to do with cricket.
In his autobiography titled Fearless, the former international cricketer Mohinder Amarnath has written about one such incident which created a few anxious moments for all the concerned people, but also seemed amusing in hindsight.
Mohinder has written about a series between the two countries that was being played in Pakistan. In those days, there used to be a rest day in the middle of a five-day Test. Usually, a rest day was scheduled after the third day. During one Test match in Pakistan, a top army officer, Brigadier Shamsi, who was a close friend of Mohinder’s father Lala Amarnath, invited the father and son over to his house for dinner. At that time, Lala Amarnath also happened to be visiting his hometown, Lahore.
However, on the same day, at the same time, there was also a party for the entire Indian team at another venue. Mohinder decided that he would honour both invitations. First, he would go to Brigadier Shamsi’s house, have a light dinner, and then go to the other party where the entire team had been invited. The Indian team had accepted the invitation for a late-night party only because the next day was a rest day in the Test match.
Mohinder has written that he had a wonderful evening with Brigadier Shamsi and his family members. At around 10 p.m., he took leave of his generous host. The Brigadier then offered to drop him off at the second venue in his vehicle. But when they reached the given address, they found that the building was dark and desolate. There was not a single soul to be seen.
Both the Brigadier and Mohinder were taken aback. Had they reached the wrong house? Were they given the wrong address by mistake? They spotted a tall Pathan sentry standing at the gate, so the Brigadier got out to make some enquiries.
He introduced himself, and the sentry saluted smartly. “There was supposed to be a party here. But where is everyone? Why is the house locked?” the Brigadier asked. The sentry replied: “Janaab, until an hour ago, there was a big gathering here involving Indian and Pakistani cricket players as well as members of affluent families. Everything was going well, people were dancing, and music was being played. But suddenly, the military police came here on a raid and stopped everything. There was total confusion for several minutes. But thereafter all the guests left and went home.”
After hearing this, both the Brigadier and Mohinder were extremely puzzled. What had gone wrong? However, at that juncture, there was nothing else they could do but head home. Brigadier Shamsi then drove Mohinder back to his hotel and dropped him off.
In the hotel, while waiting for the lift, Mohinder spotted some of his Indian teammates. He asked them what had happened and why the party had been called off. It was only then that he came to know the whole story.
As the sentry had said, the Indian and Pakistani players were having a gala time when suddenly the military police gatecrashed the venue, brandishing AK-47 rifles. The commanding officer wanted to know who was hosting the party without obtaining permission. When he was told the name of the host, he became angry.
And when he saw several bottles of liquor on the table and Pakistani cricketers holding glasses of wine in their hands, his fury knew no bounds. “Don’t you all know that it is against the law to drink here? Since the entire cantonment is under my jurisdiction, I hereby place all of you under arrest,” he thundered. He then instructed his men to round up all the Pakistani cricketers and the host.
The Indian players were astonished and did not know how to react under the circumstances. But the smallest-sized player had his wits and courage with him. Sunil Gavaskar stepped in front of the commanding officer and said, “Then you must arrest us also. We were drinking too.”
“But you are from India. Our rules do not apply to you. You are our guests,” said the officer. However, Sunny did not step back. The master batsman who had faced the world’s most ferocious fast bowlers without a protective helmet was unfazed by the army officer. He stood firm and insisted that the rules should be applied to all those who were present in the premises.
Now it was the army officer who became nervous. If he arrested Indian players, it would spark off a huge diplomatic row, and he would have to pay a heavy price. Several minutes of argument and counterarguments could not budge Gavaskar, so finally the officer had to let it go.
Eventually, he left the venue without arresting anyone. But he said very sternly that the party should not continue anymore. The revelers must go home immediately, he said, before confiscating all the liquor bottles and taking them with him.
The Indian players explained to Mohinder, “Our host had made a mistake. He had not invited this person. He was the senior-most officer in the area. That is why all this happened. As for the unfinished liquor bottles which were confiscated, we have a hunch they remained in the custody of the officer for his enjoyment,” the Indian players laughingly told Mohinder.
