“Don’t want politics involved in Tennis” - Sriram Balaji after playing the Davis Cup qualifiers in Pakistan

Pakistan’s Aisam-UL-Haq Qureshi and India’s Rohan Bopanna were famous as the ‘Indo-Pak Express’ and even sported the slogan ‘Stop War, Start Tennis’ on their T-shirts.

India’s Davis Cup team members Ramkumar Ramanathan, Saketh Myneni, Niki Poonacha and Sriram Balaji pose during a media interaction on the sideline of the ATP Challenger Bengaluru Open 2024 | Photo Credit: PTI

India’s journey to Pakistan earlier this month for the Davis Cup World Group I playoff was memorable in more ways than one. It was the first time in over six decades that the Indian tennis team had crossed the Wagah border. And at a time when bilateral cricket — the most marquee of sports played between the neighbours — is in deep freeze, it felt liberating.

“We are all good friends on the circuit and I have played [doubles] with Aisam [Ul-Haq Qureshi],” said Sriram Balaji, who played the second singles for India in Islamabad, on the sidelines of the dafaNews Bengaluru Open. “We don’t want politics or anything involved here. We are tennis players, and we [India and Pakistan] speak similar languages. They are also good people.”

Qureshi, who lost the opening singles to Ramkumar Ramanathan, is in fact a recurrent name in Indian tennis circles. Qureshi and Rohan Bopanna were famous as the ‘Indo-Pak Express’ and even sported the slogan ‘Stop War, Start Tennis’ on their T-shirts. The duo reached the 2010 US Open doubles final and also made the grade for the 2011 ATP Tour Finals.

And in late 2019, it was Qureshi who brought Ramkumar and Purav Raja together, hoping that their “complementary styles” could click together. The partnership immediately bore fruit as Ramkumar and Purav won three Challengers on the bounce and also made the semifinals at the ATP 250 in Pune (2020), setting the foundation for Ramkumar’s now blossoming doubles career.

“Aisam in fact offered to take us all out to see places,” said Sunil Yajaman, joint-secretary of the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association and the manager on the tour to Pakistan. “That was really nice. But the security was strict and we had to follow protocol.

“It was a different experience. They took care of us very well. Many people were excited to have us, to set an example for other sports like cricket and hockey to go there to play,” Yajaman added.

For Niki Poonacha, making his Cup debut for India was the highlight, while for Saketh Myneni it was about having the Pakistan stamp in his passport.

“Having that on my passport is something I will cherish. Doesn’t happen to too many of us, does it?” It will, if one doesn’t have to wait for another six decades for cross-border camaraderie.