Schadenfreude in the form of a discount

More than anywhere else in the world, you can find the fanbases of Pakistan and India on an equal footing in the UAE, although now it may have slight shifted.

The intensity among the Pakistani fans here in Dubai has reached stratospheric levels as Babar Azam's side have already sealed a place in the semi-final of the ICC T20 World Cup with four wins from as many games in Group 2.

But when it comes to Indian fans, they have endured a tough time in the flagship event, starting with an already-famous ten-wicket defeat to archrivals Pakistan in their opening Super 12 game. An eight-wicket defeat to New Zealand the next game raised concerns over an early exit for Virat Kohl's side.

You will witness the unique ways in which fans support the two Asian powerhouses in Dubai. This reporter hopped on a taxi and was greeted by Mohammad Imran from the city of Peshawar in Pakistan, who has been driving a taxi in Dubai for the past nine years.

At first, he thought he had an Indian passenger and initiated the conversation by inquiring whether he had taken a cricket fan on board. Once he confirmed the passenger was not from India but from Bangladesh, he opened up and said that if it was an Indian fan, he would have given a 10 Dirham discount for the ride.

"Ever since the ten-wicket win over India in the first game of the World Cup, I have been looking for Indian supporters to take on a ride. I don't reveal my nationality initially. I only ask if they know the result of the game between India and Pakistan. You can imagine the reaction to that question because they are furious about the defeat. When the passengers reaches their destination, I reveal my nationality and gave them a discount of ten dirhams in memory of the famous ten-wicket win."

Although India managed to bounce back in their next matches with two big wins against Scotland and Afghanistan to raise hopes of reaching the semifinal, Indian fans who were desperately hoping for Afghanistan to beat New Zealand in yesterday's encounter were left disappointed as the Kiwis thrashed Afghans by eight wickets and qualified for the semifinal, condemning India to an early exit.

"We were hoping to face Pakistan in the final and avenge the ten-wicket defeat. But let the Pakistanis enjoy this time around. The fact is they have beaten India for the very first time in a World event. So, we can understand the outpouring of joy from our neighbors. They hardly ever get this feeling," said Avishek Mishra, an Indian who works as a sales manager in Dubai. "As Indians, we will keep supporting our team no matter what happens in the future. And we will wait to meet Pakistan in the future and take revenge."

The rivalry among India and Pakistan may be seen as an intense battle of pride for both nations, but Indian and Pakistani fans in Dubai hope the rivalry remains on the field and they continue to live in harmony off it in the coming days as well.