“Apart from the field of cricket that will miss Lala Amarnath forever, his death is a personal loss to me, for the close association that we had. A great tactician with superb knowledge of the game, he was my captain when I played for North Zone before independence.” This is how Pakistan’s fast-bowling great Fazal Mahmood, began his emotional tribute to his friend and on-field rival, Lala Amarnath, Independent India’s first Test captain. This was in 2000, when Lala Amarnath passed away.

Very few rivalries in sport carry the weight of history like India vs Pakistan does. Every encounter between the two nations is laced with political undertones, emotions, and a deep-rooted competitive fire that goes beyond the sport. But before the battle lines were drawn, before the two nations took their separate paths, it was a story of friendships, of shared dreams.

As arch-rivals India and Pakistan gear up for their clash in Dubai on Sunday for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, many are recalling thrilling and tension-filled tales from on-field clashes and off-field camaraderie. One such story that we are revisiting is that of the two cricketers who honed their skills in Lahore.

Lala Amarnath and Fazal Mahmood, two cricketers from Lahore, found themselves on opposite sides of history after India’s Partition in 1947. Years later, Lala, the dashing, aggressive batsman with an astute cricketing mind, became the first captain of Independent India. While Fazal, a six-foot-tall fast bowler with piercing blue eyes and the aura of a Bollywood hero, went on to become Pakistan’s first great cricketing hero.

But, before they became on-field rivals, Lala Amarnath was a mentor and friend to Fazal Mahmood, and Lahore was their home. In fact, Amarnath and a young Mahmood played together in the domestic circuit in the mid-1940s.

The non-nonsense Amarnath, known for grooming young cricketers, had spotted the talent in Mahmood, who was 16 years younger than him.

Amarnath and Mahmood were supposed to be part of Independent India’s first international cricket tour (of Australia), but ended up on opposite sides in the first-ever India-Pakistan series.

Born in Kapurthala but raised in the cricketing culture of Lahore, Lala Amarnath honed his craft in the famous Minto Park (now the Iqbal Park). His talent was evident early on, and by 1933, he had announced himself to the world by scoring undivided India’s first-ever Test century against England in Bombay (now Mumbai).

Lala Amarnath’s aggressive stroke-play and combative spirit were rare for Indian cricketers of that era, and it was no surprise that he became a pioneering figure in Indian cricket.

Fazal Mahmood, meanwhile, was making a name for himself as a seam bowler of remarkable skill. As a teenager, Fazal got the ball to dance to his tunes.

But then, just as Fazal was selected for India’s tour of Australia in 1947-48, the Partition happened and changed everything.

FAZAL MAHMOOD WAS HELPED BY CK NAYUDU AMID PARTITION CIOLENCE

“It was in 1947 that the All India team was to make its first ever tour of Australia. There was huge anticipation about playing against Don Bradman and the team that would go on to be remembered as the Invincibles,” wrote journalist-author Rahul Bhattacharya in his 2005 book, Pundits from Pakistan.

“Even though the tour would only commence in winter, the Indian squad was announced as early as March. Fazal Mahmood, the rising star, was picked. Within a few months there would be no India as anybody had known it,” added Bhattacharya.

As the team was announced, Fazal Mahmood was in Poona (now Pune), attending a preparatory cricket camp ahead of India’s first-ever tour of Australia. But the skies over Poona mirrored the turmoil of the times. It rained incessantly, forcing the cancellation of the camp.

With no cricket to play and his country now divided, Fazal began a perilous journey back home, to Lahore. He was unaware of what awaited him along the way.

Violence had erupted in several parts of India and Pakistan, and travelling through the heart of the turmoil was a gamble with life.

As Fazal’s train chugged through the countryside, whispers of killings and rioting spread among the passengers. People were being dragged out of compartments, identified by their religion, and attacked. Tensions rose in Fazal’s train compartment too. He noticed a few in a mob eyeing him suspiciously. He knew what it meant.

But in the same compartment there also happened to be CK Nayudu, India’s first-ever Test captain. Naidu captained India in the 1931 tour of England.

Sensing the imminent threat, Nayudu stepped in.

Nayudu, with his imposing presence and a cricket bat in hand, warned the people to stay away. This is how Fazal recalled it in his autobiography, From Dusk to Dawn.

Thanks to Nayudu’s intervention, Fazal made it to his first stop, Bombay, safely. From there, he secured passage to Karachi, where he arrived utterly exhausted. Three days later, after enduring one of the most harrowing journeys of his life, he finally reached Lahore.

LALA AMARNATH AND THE PARTITION OF 1947

Fazal’s mentor and friend, Lala Amarnath, was also not spared the horrors of Partition. He, too, escaped death.

“Lala Amarnath was in Patiala around that time. He lost his ancestral house in Lahore, with all its possessions, including the Gunn & Moor ‘non-jar’ bat which had struck India’s first century,” wrote journalist-author Rahul Bhattacharya.

While Amarnath was on his way to Delhi to finalise the team for the Australian tour, he witnessed a horrifying bloodbath where a frenzied mob had taken over his train compartment.

Amarnath was told by some that some people in a group planned to kill him. But, it was Amarnath’s decisive mind at play, not on a cricket field, but the scene of riot, that saved him.

“He[Amarnath] noticed a few ‘well-built men began looking and whispering to one another and pointing fingers at me’. Fearing for his life, he disembarked at Ambala where a police officer who recognised him, got him a Sikh’s karra to wear on the wrist. When the men saw Amarnath again, they spotted the karra and let him off. ‘Thank God,’ they told him, ‘we were planning to kill you before Karnal,” wrote Bhattacharya.

AFTER PARTITION FAZAL TURNED DOWN AMARNATH’S OFFER

As violence engulfed parts of the subcontinent, Fazal Mahmood chose not to go on the tour of Australia with the Indian team. It was a five-match Test series where India were led by Amarnath and Australia were captained by Don Bradman.

Fazal’s friend and mentor Lala Amarnath sent him a heartfelt telegram urging him to reconsider his decision, believing Fazal’s talent could bring India glory.

Even the chief ministers of both the Punjab states/proivinces (on either side of the newly drawn border) intervened, trying to persuade Fazal. But he remained firm.

“Barrey bhai, do you want me to bring laurels for India?” asked Fazal bluntly as the chief minister of Pakistan’s Punjab province asked him about his decision.

Years later, Mahmood recalled the incident.

“He was captain of the team when I was selected to tour Australia with the Indian team. My feeling for the newly created Pakistan being higher than cricket, I declined to go on the tour. He especially rang up the Nawab of Mamdot [near modern-day Firozpur], the then Chief Minister of Punjab, to spare me, saying that he could beat any country in the world if I was in the team. It was a great compliment to me from my former captain and a great cricketer of his times,” Fazal was quoted as saying in his 2000 tribute to Lala Amarnath, by ESPNCricinfo.

1952, INDIA VS PAKISTAN AND AMARNATH VS MAHMOOD

Years later in 1952, when Pakistan played their first-ever Test series, their opponents were none other than India.

Leading the Pakistani pace attack was Fazal Mahmood, his eyes set on his old friend, Lala Amarnath.

And sure enough, his first-ever Test wicket was Lala himself — a symbolic passing of the torch, a reminder of what had been lost and what had been gained.

That series was hard-fought.

India took the first Test in Delhi, but Pakistan hit back in Lucknow, with Fazal taking 12 wickets to script Pakistan’s first-ever Test victory.

Ultimately, India won the series, but it set the stage for what would become cricket’s most intense rivalry.

HOW AMARNATH SHAPED INDIA’S CRICKET, MAHMOOD PAKISTAN’S

For Lala Amarnath, his leadership was instrumental in shaping Indian cricket. He was a tough, no-nonsense captain who nurtured young talent. He instilled discipline in the team and set the foundation for India’s future success.

He played a crucial role in mentoring players like Polly Umrigar and Vijay Manjrekar, who would go on to become stalwarts of Indian cricket.

As for Fazal, he became Pakistan’s first cricketing superstar.

His performances in England, where he bowled Pakistan to a historic win at The Oval in 1954, earned him global recognition.

He was a trendsetter, a man who brought style, charisma, and steel to Pakistan’s cricketing identity. He was even offered film roles in both Bollywood and Hollywood but chose to remain true to his passion — cricket.

STAKES HIGH AGAIN, INDIA PAKISTAN TO PLAY IN DUBAI

Over the decades, the India-Pakistan cricket rivalry has only intensified, becoming one of the most-followed sporting clashes in the world.

Whenever India and Pakistan meet, more sparsely now, the International Cricket Council (ICC) hits commercial jackpots. Superstars are produced.

The India vs Pakistan clashes have made and broken careers. It has also witnessed political tensions spill over onto the cricket field, from the attacks on Indian players in Karachi in 1989 to the complete breakdown of bilateral series post-2008.

As the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 approaches, the stakes are once again high. India has decided against travelling to Pakistan due to security concerns, meaning the matches between the two teams will be held in a neutral venue — Dubai.

Yet, no matter where they play, the echoes of history will be heard. The rivalry will continue, shaped by the ghosts of Partition, by the legacy of legendary cricketers who have emerged from both nations, and by the countless fans who see cricket as more than just a game.

Clearly, cricket between India and Pakistan is not just about wins and losses, it is about remembrance. It is about acknowledging the friendships that once were, the bonds that were severed, and the enduring hope that sport can still bring people together, even when history has done its best to tear them apart. This is why we remember the on-field rivalry between Lala Amarnath and Fazal Mahmood, and their off-field friendship.