First, the obvious - India versus Pakistan is not just another match, under any circumstance, at any level. It is a high-pressure, tense situation, where tempers fly without notice.

India beat Pakistan 3-1 in the semi-final clash of the junior Asia Cup on Wednesday, but the fact that both Indian and Pakistani players were beating each other up minutes before half-time took the sheen off the performance.

No one’s quite sure what sparked the fight, but Pakistan’s Mohammad Irfan was the one who got involved first, and came off worst, in the unruly scuffle. Four minutes from half time, with India leading by a goal, Irfan seemed to have hit Mandeep Antil in the stomach. Kashif Ali and SV Sunil joined in, followed by the rest of the squad, and soon it was a free-for-all. Play was halted for about 10 minutes as the umpires tried to sort out the issue.

A bleeding Irfan was suspended, and both captains were given a warning. And with the captains and players shaking hands at the end of the game, no announcement of any enquiry of sorts was made.

Apart from the scuffle, it was India all the way — repeatedly creating chances and rock-solid in defence.

Perhaps it was the Maradona effect — the team had watched a special video of the Argentine legend in the morning. The Pakistan side, incidentally, watched Chak de India! — for inspiration — on the eve of the match. That didn’t quite work out.

... contd.