Highlights
- India and Pakistan face off in a pool match at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup on 24 October.
- Sydhikers, a volunteer group, has organised a harmony hike on the morning of the highly anticipated match.
- People of Indian and Pakistani background will join the hike and promote unity between the two nations.
As president of Sydhikers, Tahir Rauf has been organising social hikes for the last four years.
Tahir and his fellow volunteers enjoy a challenge, whether it's a gruelling two-day, grade-five hike through the Budawangs or scaling Pantoneys Crown, the sandstone monolith that rises from the world's second largest canyon.
This Sunday, their hike will represent a challenge of a different kind.
Tahir told SBS Punjabi that his group, which comprises volunteers of both Indian and Pakistani backgrounds, eyed the T20 World Cup clash as the perfect opportunity to promote peaceful relations.
The "Sydhikers T20 Harmony Hike" will take place on the morning of 24 October, ahead of the India-Pakistan pool match later that night.
"Why not share a message of harmony on the day of such a highly-anticipated cricket match between arch-rivals?"
The 6km hike will wind its way through Blue Mountains National Park, after which the group will organise a friendly cricket hit-out.
Tahir said 100 hikers are expected to join, across two time slots, with people of any background invited to join.
He said whether in cricket or in normal life, people should try to put national rivalries aside.
Yash Mehta, who has worked with Sydhikers for the last three years, told SBS Gujarati that the group is a shining example of Indians and Pakistanis working side by side.
The "Sydhikers T20 Harmony Hike" will take place on the morning of the India-Pakistan match. Source: SBS
While the two nations share one of the fiercest rivalries in world cricket, Yash said the volunteers try to look beyond any perceived differences.
He said on the day hikers will carry the flags of India and Pakistan as a show of unity.
"Why look at the differences when we have a lot in common and can prosper by leaps and bounds together?"
"We are taking a cricket kit with us and will play a small match comprising mixed teams from both nations," he added.
Sydhikers is a volunteer group which organises hikes free of cost. Source: Yash Mehta Sydhikers
Zubair Lateef, another of the hike organisers, told SBS Urdu he has been anticipating this World Cup for a very long time.
The tournament offers a welcome diversion after a long and trying lockdown, he said, adding that he hopes the hike can take some of the tension out of the big clash.
"Cricket always has an element of luck, so it is better to enjoy it as a game rather than look at it as a battle between nations. Whoever plays better will take the match," he said.
Members of Sydhikers during a hike. Source: Yash Mehta Sydhikers
Having not played a bilateral series since 2013, India and Pakistan currently only meet in major international competitions. The last time the two sides faced off was in a one-day international at the ICC Cricket World Cup in Manchester on 16 June 2019.
Several prominent figures from both nations have questioned whether the match should go ahead due to strained relations, with Indian union minister Giriraj Singh telling media "the match should be reconsidered”.
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