'No Place Can Match The Fun And Thrill Of Playing In India': Pakistan Assistant Coach

Two decades back, Rehan Butt used to be the reason for Indian defenders' sleepless nights and the man known for his deft stick-work still reminisces the good old days when playing against the next door neighbours in their backyard felt like "playing a home game". With bilateral sporting ties between India and Pakistan coming to a halt due to simmering cross-border tension, Butt, currently the assistant coach of Pakistan team, is delighted that the players from current generation would get a chance to showcase their skills in-front of a knowledgable Chennai crowd in the upcoming Asian Champions Trophy.

"I have played all around the world but there is no place that can match the fun and thrill of playing in India - it would feel as if we were playing in Pakistan. I have always got a lot of love here, have also made some friends," Butt, who is famous for his twin goals in the dying moments of Pakistan's Champions Trophy clash against India in Germany in 2002, told PTI Bhasha in an exclusive interview.

Overwhelmed by the appreciation and warmth Pakistan team often received in India, Butt said the two countries should resume bilateral hockey ties at the earliest.

Tasked with the duty of guiding his country's premier talents, the 43-year-old former star centre forward couldn't wait for the India game to start.

The contest between the two arch-rivals - the world No 4 India and Pakistan - is scheduled for August 9.

"I have heard that tickets have been sold out for the India-Pakistan clash. There is a lot of following for this game and it is time the bilateral hockey relations resumed between the two nations.

"From sponsors to broadcasters to players, everyone will benefit from it," Butt, who represented Pakistan in 274