Stop talking down to fans! We must start thinking “cricket” as opposed to gossiping about “cricketers”.

The opening of the Commonwealth Games has been exhilarating, even if the “chalta hai” culture raises questions which point towards the ability to get away with nonsense.

Sorry, hypocrisy doesn’t sound good on you. I humbly submit you are the doyen of integrity, accountability and all things credible in Pakistan cricket - aren’t you?

We, the fans, also need to share of the blame for putting mortals on pedestals and expecting an awful lot from them, when we know they are as human as you and me.

There’s much to look forward to from the set of bowlers Pakistan have at the moment, and even the assembly chain back home, is almost certain to produce prodigious talent.

The mood in India towards Pakistan cricket has somewhat changed. The lack of frequent Indo-Pak exchanges has only somewhat helped towards changing attitudes towards Pakistan cricket and in a way, jingoism has taken a backseat, at least for the time being and there is a genuine sense of both empathy and concern about Pakistan’s relevance in the modern-game.

On the very day speculations over his test future were rife, I telephoned Murali, a routine journalistic call to confirm if these rumours were indeed true. Honest as always, he categorically said, in true Murali fashion “After this Indian test, I am not playing test cricket anymore.” He went on to emphatically suggest that we have not seen the last of him. Of course, as a journalist, you were never away from a great quote any time you interviewed Murali.