As India and Pakistan gear up for a face-off, cricket lovers look forward to a series without political tension, while corporates view it as a huge marketing opportunity. The Tribune team reports

by Abhijit Chatterjee & Ajay Banerjee
Great cricket matches between India and Pakistan have often been played amid tension, including one in the middle of a war. Cricket between the two nations is a mish-mash of diverse things. It is not only about crafty bowling and superb batting, but also about emotional drama, underlying political tensions, groups threatening to disrupt matches, communal rhetoric by spectators, not to miss the statements of politicians. To quote a member of the Indian team, this is "a battle without guns."

Cricketing ties between India and Pakistan have proved that sports and politics can coexist. Senior cricket players say that relations between team members of both sides are very cordial and some of them are very close friends. One keeps on hearing how members of the Indian team were hosted over dinner by a Pakistani cricketer or vice versa.

Every time teams from India or Pakistan have crossed the border, the faith of people of one country in their neighbours has gone up.

With the exception of the cricket matches played in the early 1950s, the forthcoming Test and one-day series would probably be the first without the underlying political tension.

In the past, political relations between the two countries have always had a bearing on cricketing relations. Even prior to the Pakistan team’s arrival in 1999, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray had threatened to disrupt the tour. But the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had not only rebuffed the Maharashtra strongman but did everything possible to ensure that cricket was played, and played smoothly.

Not only did people get to see good, exciting cricket — it was in this series that Anil Kumble got 10 out of 10 at the Ferozeshah Kotla in Delhi — but they also experienced the warmth shown by the visitors.

March, 2005, seems a long haul from the 1990s. The possibility of frenzied spectators booing players cannot be visualised now.

Already the red carpet is being rolled out. As Mohali gears up to host the first Test, Chandigarh Mayor Anu Chatrath has ordered a facelift of the world famous shopping plaza in Sector 17 to welcome at least 8,000 fans from across the border.

Last year in March-April, India visited Pakistan after 15 years. The Pakistanis were defeated 2-1 in the historic Test series but the thousands of Indian who crossed over, watched cricket holding Indian flags alongside Pakistani ones, visited ancestral homes and got emotional, relished typically Muslim non-vegetarian fare, and shopped to their heart’s content.

Emotions have always ruled in any cricket match between India and Pakistan. This time, too, it will be no different. The opponents have given no quarters or expected any. Remember Javed Miandad’s famous six off Chetan Sharma at Sharjah or Sachin Tendulkar getting after Saqlain Mushtaq at Chennai.

Even in the forthcoming series, the hosts, who have to live up to the expectations of the huge fan following, cannot take the opponents lightly even if the latter recently got a pasting from Australia.

From here to fraternity

Bangalore, March, 1996
Kashmir had been on the boil for more than seven years. Cricketing ties between India and Pakistan had been snapped since 1989 when India had visited Pakistan under K. Srikkanth. Now in the middle of this diplomatic point scoring, Pakistan were pitted to play against India in the World Cup quarterfinal.

The match turned out to be a cliff-hanger as 50,000 persons turned up at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. India won the match, but it seemed as if they had won the World Cup.

The scenes on Bangalore roads are still vivid in memory. Strangers stopped each other on the posh MG Road area and hugged each other. People offered sweets to every passing motorist while discos and pubs were open into the wee hours of the morning as the whole city celebrated.

Chennai, January, 1999
Just months before the then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee rode out on his bus diplomacy to Lahore, Pakistan nailed India in what was one of the finest game of Test cricket at the Chidambaram Stadium.

A tired Sachin Tendulkar was tricked out by the wily off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq for a majestic 136 and with his departure ended India’s hopes. Minutes later, Pakistan had won. People in the packed stands rose like one man and gave a standing ovation to the winners led by Wasim Akram, who did a victory lap.

The Pakistan team were touring India after a long gap but were greeted like heroes even after beating the hosts. Things were changing. At least there were no mindless slogans of "Pakistan hai hai" from the stands.

On the flight from Chennai to Delhi for the second Test, the members of both teams were given a warm welcome by all those on board the flight and it was difficult for the layman (if ever there was one, given the fan following the game has in the country) to differentiate between the Indian players and the visiting team members.

England, July, 1999
Pakistan’s adventurism into the icy heights of Kargil in May had once again vitiated the political atmosphere. Both countries were scheduled to meet in the World Cup. The tension was palpable. While the armies were locked in an intense battle the cricketers were involved in another nail-biting finish.

Media reports said India’s victory boosted the morale of the jawans and that night they pounded enemy posts. Army commanders could not have asked for more.

Rawalpindi, April, 2004
Relations between the two countries had started improving. Gone were the days when when a spectator had torn the shirt of Indian captain K. Srikkanth in 1989. India beat Pakistan in both Test and one-day series. Pakistani youngsters had two names on their lips. One was, of course, Rahul Dravid and the other was L. Balaji, the Tamil Nadu quickie.

Much to the amusement of visiting Indians, streams of youths used to walk in the aisles chanting "Balaji, Balaji, Balaji." There was a cheerful roar each time he came on to bowl, despite the fact that he tormented Pakistani batsmen in the series.

— A.C.& A.B.

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