Mother of all cricket, Grandpa of all rivalries

Preview of war, preamble of peace

When Pakistan and India meet on a cricket field, it is not cricket. I mean it is not just cricket. How can you watch a Pak-India match and relate it with cricketing expressions only forgetting about the aura and reverberation of emotions it exudes?

Tomorrow Kashmir will not be decided on the battleground of Mohali, but the build up is such that a war ultimatum has been issued and the forces across the border are lining up for the final showdown. Pakistan and India are neighbors and they are strange neighbors. At one hand they are fierce enemies of each other. On the other, they intermingle in such a manner that people from outside see them as one. Since their inception they are continuously fighting and, for the utter disbelief of an outsider, also talking constantly to resolve issues.

They are to each other what a co-wife is to her counterpart. They are co-wives married to a common denominator - fate. They curse each other, doubt each other’s intentions, and continuously find ways to downgrade each other. After fighting for a whole day relentlessly, they end up on the same side at the mercy of their common husband, the ‘fate’. They are two independent and to some extent unique nations but they are inseparable too. The border that separates them actually cannot separate them.

After fighting three wars and several mini-battles (and losing East Pakistan - now Bangladesh), a common Pakistani harbors a desire to avenge whenever a chance comes. He is happy when India loses. He supports two teams, one is Pakistan and the other one is any one playing against India. He gets angry when Pakistan loses on the cricketing field against any team but stomachs it in the end. But a defeat at the hand of India (India has 4-0 advantage over Pakistan in World cups), sticks to his mind for the rest of his life haunting him from time to time.

But what happens to a common Pakistani when India comes to Pakistan for a full tour after a long break of almost 15 years? India is welcomed in Pakistan with unprecedented hospitality and open arms in 2004. Indian team gets a standing ovation in Lahore after winning a test match. The Taxi drivers give their Indian guests free ride and hotels charge half the fare. India wins both the ODI and test series and Pakistanis continue to cheer, face-paint tricolor and chant for them. India goes home and Pakistanis start planning how to revenge all those defeats and why on earth India came and conquered Pakistan. Any outside observer will not fathom it and may feel befooled.

It happens across the border as well. The Chennai crowd gives a standing ovation to Pakistani team after they thump India in front of their eyes. Forget about fanatics on either side. They will dig the pitch or try to sabotage an event but they cannot win as common man despite their prejudices wants peace.

They have different religions, different world views and different ambitions, but people from both side of the border are tied with each other through a common bond. And that is cricket. India is and was always a batting powerhouse while Pakistan is a hub of World’s most exciting fast bowling talent. While India longs for a Pakistan-like fast bowler, Pakistan looks at India’s batting with jealousy. While Pakistan boasts with the fact that it has an edge over India in both tests and ODIs, Indians remind their arch-rivals of the victories they had over them in ICC tournaments.

The build-up of tomorrow’s semi-final at Mohali has been tremendous. It overshadowed the 4th quarter-final and 1st semi-final completely. Whether it equilibrates with the media hype only time will tell, but the players on either side will carry burden of expectations on their shoulders when they will step onto the field tomorrow.

As much this clash has raised animosity, it has brought a fresh hope of peace too. After being at loggerheads since Mumbai barbarism, Prime Ministers of both countries have decided to watch this epic encounter together. Everlasting peace between these two hostile neighbors may be a thing of far future but it is a reality for sure. The signs were always there and hope will always be.

In a high-voltage India Pakistan clash; form, momentum, class, pitch, weather and home advantage do not count. It is the pressure and luck that counts. The team which takes the pressure better will prevail tomorrow and the unlucky one would be left to the mercy of their fans and media.

Although what happens tomorrow would become history soon, it would surely have some everlasting effects on the lives of millions.