Small screen, big picture

The first signs of hype surrounding the India-Pakistan series were visible at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday. Sitting two rows behind the I...

The first signs of hype surrounding the India-Pakistan series were visible at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday. Sitting two rows behind the Indian national selectors was a man being greeted by everyone around him. He was a Pakistani but he wasn8217;t here to spy on the Indian cricketers nor to inspect the stadiums; Hasan Jalil was here to produce a 13-part build-up teleseries for PTV.

Back at the Wankhede after nine years 8212; since the 1996 World Cup league match between Australia and India 8212; Jalil was impressed by what he saw. 8216;8216;It8217;s changed a lot. The stands are looking better than before, even the media centre has changed tremendously.8217;8217; A noted Pakistan cricket commentator who8217;s worked with Iftikhar Ahmed, Omar Kureishi and Chishty Mujahid back in the 1970s, Jalil is currently based in the US.

8216;8216;We usually have these build-up programmes before a major series. This time we will look at the current players maybe even few of the other older ones,8217;8217; said the Karachi-based Jalil.

Why start in Mumbai? 8216;8216;I was told this was the best place to start because I would get to speak all the players. And here I am, watching India8217;s best in action,8217;8217; he said.

Jalil likes talking about another team 8212; the famous commentary team of the 70s.

8216;8216;It was on par with the best8217;8217;, he says, but it won8217;t be seen in India during the series.

8216;8216;Ab toh yaar, it8217;s a different thing we have all the sports channels. But now radio in Pakistan is getting popular and also there are quite a few private radio stations which are coming up, so that is interesting,8217;8217; said Jalil.

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When India toured Pakistan last year, Jalil was very much the lead commentator for Pakistan8217;s national channel. And it was one of his evening shows featuring former leg-spinner Abdul Qadir and former pace bowler Aaquib Javed that created quite a sensation.

Qadir 8216;8216;admitted8217;8217; live on air what had always been suspected. 8216;8216;We Pakistani bowlers always do something with the ball ball banate hain,8217;8217; said Qadir.

He was eventually sacked by PTV, but Jalil realised then the following his programmes had. 8216;8216;Everybody in India, Pakistan and even the USA were talking about the Qadir comment.8217;8217;