Davis cup: Former Pakistan captain recollects meeting Zeeshan

Islamabad, January 31

For former Pakistan Davis Cup captain Hameed ul Haq, meeting India captain and coach Zeeshan Ali here was like reuniting with his separated brother.

More than 36 years have passed since he visited Bengaluru but he vividly remembers how Zeeshan’s father, the late Akhtar Ali, would take care of the Pakistan players.

He still remembers how he made the mistake of entering Trivandrum without a valid visa and was sent back by a DIG without causing any discomfort to him.

The 62-year-old Hameed remembers the generous act of Srinivasan Vasudevan, who took him home when he was struggling to find accommodation in Bengaluru in 1987.

Hameed, honoured with the Pride of Performance (a title in Pakistan) in 2000, gushed about the fact that an Indian team has come to Pakistan for playing tennis.

“Now that I am meeting the Indian contingent, it feels like I have met my own brothers who got separated. Zeeshan is a very good friend of mine. His father Akhtar Ali also helped us a lot. He was like our father and coach,” he said.