Dubai: Sporting ties between the UAE and India began with the inflow of expatriates from India to this country. They carried with them their love for a variety of sports, and in the process attracted many UAE nationals to try out sports popular in India.
Cricket, the most popular sport in India, and hockey, India’s national sport, began to be played here extensively. Though cricket was unheard of in the region, UAE nationals too started taking interest in the game. So much was the impact that when the UAE qualified for the 1996 and 2015 Cricket World Cup, the team was led by a UAE national. Sultan Zarawani captained the UAE in the 1996 World Cup while Mohammad Tauqir led the side in the 2015 edition.
The love for hockey too was carried to the UAE by Indians. In 1982, Dubai staged an India-Pakistan match at Al Maktoum stadium that was watched by a packed gathering. UAE national Ahmad Al Sayegh went on to become the captain of the UAE team made of mainly Indian and Pakistan players.
Soon, teams made up of UAE nationals and Indian expatriates began to travel to India too to participate in many sporting events. Top Indian players from various sports began to fly here to participate in different tournaments. As a result, the turnout for these sports too increased heavily.
In tennis, when Leander Paes came to play here, people thronged the stadiums. Same was the case in women’s tennis when Sania Mirza became the star attraction. Badminton too attracted huge crowds, and recently the World Super Series in badminton that had Sania Nehwal and P.V. Sindhu playing was a major sell-out.
The tradition of the UAE Rulers supporting Indian sports began way back in 1964 when the late Shaikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, then Vice-President of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, gifted a piece of land for the India Sports Club. Today it is a beehive of sporting activities all year round.
Mazhar Khan of the Sharjah Cricket Council, who has witnessed the influence of Indians in popularising cricket in the region, said: “Our relationship with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) dates back to the early 1980s when the Cricketers Benefit Fund Series (CBFS) organised the matches in Sharjah. Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 matches were played in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, and Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan was instrumental in hosting it here. UAE nationals too have played a big role in the development of cricket here. It is indeed a proud moment for all Indians here that His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, has been invited as the chief guest for the Indian Republic Day.”
Raza Abidi, coordinator for the UAE Hockey Association, lauded the UAE nationals’ support for hockey. “In the early eighties, the Indian hockey team used to play here regularly. The UAE hosted even a six-nation tournament in 1986 in Dubai at Al Wasl Club. The Al Ahli stadium football ground too staged hockey tournaments. Though these stadiums are mainly for football, UAE nationals opened the doors for hockey to be played on their turf grounds. The UAE national team’s first captain Ahmad Al Sayegh was also coached by former Indian captain M.M. Somaya.”
Sudhakar Shetty, the chief coordinator of Max Talents Cricket Academy, who has spread cricket among UAE national boys and girls through a tie-up with the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) and Dubai Education Zone, said: “We have been touring India with budding cricketers from the UAE for the last ten years and conducted tournaments in Mumbai. This exposure has helped many players from our academy to represent the UAE in junior cricket.”
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Cricket boosted sporting ties
Sharjah: It is cricket that made the UAE most popular among Indian sports lovers. The Cricketers Benefit Fund Series (CBFS) held in Sharjah Cricket Stadium during the eighties was a milestone in the sporting ties between the two countries.
Speaking to Gulf News, Waleed Bukhatir, member of the Emirates Cricket Board and chairman of UAE team selection committee, said: “Sports has played a big role in the UAE’s close ties with India. Cricket played a huge role when the UAE delivered some great matches through the Sharjah Cricket Stadium that organised the Cricketers Benefit Fund Series from the eighties. In fact, many Indians heard of the UAE and Sharjah through these cricket matches since a majority of them watched these matches in India.”
Waleed, who is the son of Abdul Rehman Bukhatir, the person responsible for bringing international cricket to the UAE, also added: “The very fact that the UAE was chosen to host the prestigious Indian Premier League (IPL) shows the strong relationship we have with India. The IPL was held here due to the support from Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan who is the chairman of Emirates Cricket Board. Our government has been supportive of cricket, and Indians have always been welcomed to play here. This has also helped many UAE nationals take up cricket. His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, being invited as the chief guest for the Indian Republic Day is a great moment in the ties between the two countries.”
