“People have always believed that if there’s a war without guns between the two countries, it’s absolutely on a cricket field,” says professional Cricket writer, Mudar Patherya, who has covered multiple India-Pakistan matches during the 80s and 90s.
For both these countries, India vs Pakistan is way more than a game. It’s that age-old seed of rivalry which the British sowed during 1947. The two nations witnessed a traumatic partition in 1947 where while million of people lost their lives, some other millions were forced to live like refugees. Many families are still not over the pain of partition. The British colonialism did not only leave behind three bloody wars, nuclear weapons, and a perpetual war over Kashmir but also cricket, and a sporting rivalry which, charged with decades of geopolitical hatred, is much more heated than any other sports competition in the world. This rivalry has also served as a form of a much-needed catharsis that the over-excited citizens of both the countries face during the game.
Had it not been the case, both these countries wouldn’t have faced each other in the well-groomed fields in Old Trafford, England in 1999, when their respective armies were fighting against each other in Kargil. India won both the battles. However, though Kargil and the match both are a thing os some 18-year-old past, the Ind0-Pak relationship remains exceedingly hostile and this can be seen best on the cricket field. And our media and social media adds to this rivalry. In no other sports contest, do they pit any other nation against nation as they do in the India vs Pakistan does match!
Don’t believe us? Well, have a look at these videos:
Disgusted, aren’t you? Guess, the government of both these countries hasn’t used their “cricket diplomacy” card enough to de-escalate the tension between the two countries, that these so-called “comedians” have now taken the onus upon themselves. It is because of these people that a riot is almost waiting to break out every time the two teams played. In both these countries, there have been repeated incidents of people pelting stones at players’ houses, chanting abusive slogans, burning effigies of players after a loss, and at times breaking their television sets, courtesy such provocative “jokes”.
Well, thank God for some people, the world’s still a better place. Who, you ask? These comedians who are teaching us that India vs Pakistan is just a game and not a battle, one video at a time. Have a look at these videos so that we can learn that cricket field is not the place where both these countries have to take out their rivalries.
Well, I hope that these videos will teach a few “comedians” that humour isn’t meant for insults. It can rather be used for spreading peace too.
Now, as both the countries prepare to play in another World Cup tomorrow i.e. June 18, 2017, at the The Oval, London, in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 final, amid rising hostilities, one can only hope that this time the cricket enthusiasts will watch this match with a sports’ spirit and not fall for the “cricket diplomacy” trap!
Our best wishes to both the teams. May the best team win!
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