It is the season of India vs Pakistan as we build up to October 14th in Ahmedabad for the blockbuster and Pakistan's Hyderabad leg is showing up the sporting side of the rivalry.
Hyderabad welcomed the Pakistan team with open arms from the time they arrived at the airport and since they started the warm up matches.
Their first game against the Netherlands saw a fair amount of support coming their way in the stadium with the stands filling up partially.
With the visa issues still not sorted out, Pakistan fans and media are missing out on extending support to their team post the team arriving in India for the World Cup.
The epic match against Sri Lanka where Mohammad Rizwan and Abdullah Shafique pulled off a record-breaking chase for Pakistan saw the stands almost filled to capacity in the post evening phase.
Rizwan acknowledged the support that the Hyderabad crowd gave both the teams in the post-match press conference.
"We have received a lot of love from the people here. And they have been true supporters of cricket and backing both teams when good cricket was on display,'' Rizwan stated.
With the kind of support Pakistan received at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal, it wasn't for nothing that Rizwan quipped that he felt they were playing in Rawalpindi and not Hyderabad.
And skipper Babar Azam's gesture post the victory to gift the ground staff a Pakistan jersey was another example of the neighbouring country's team striking a chord in Hyderabad.
The City of Nizams has been welcoming with its famous cuisine where the Pakistan team dined and dug into some delicious Hyderabadi Biriyani at the Jewel of Nizam restaurant.
It is not the first time that an Indian city has warmed up and appreciated the performance of the Pakistan cricket team.
During the 1999 Chennai Test, when India suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Pakistan at the MA Chidambaram Stadium after Sachin Tendulkar played one of his finest knocks in a losing cause, the Chennai crowd gave Pakistan a standing ovation while they took a victory lap.
It was a surreal moment that captured the sporting imagination at its best when the vanquished acknowledged the victor in the truest spirit of sportsmanship.
In the India-Pakistan context, that's saying something.
