Moving beyond boundaries
Cricket encounters between India and Pakistan come with the inevitable mix of passion, paranoia, politics and propaganda, writes Ashok Malik in the Asian Age
Akhila Ranganna
25-Feb-2013
Cricket encounters between India and Pakistan come with the inevitable mix of passion, paranoia, politics and propaganda, writes Ashok Malik in the Asian Age. It becomes much more than sport and often we take away from such a match only what we want to take away. But gradually, there was simply so much cricket between the two countries, that the crowds began to pick and choose.
Today, the ability to shrug shoulders and move on — and the opportunity cost to not doing so — is greater than at any time earlier. May this essential equanimity (easy to miss while watching over-the-top news television shows) come through this Wednesday night. Admittedly it would be nice if it were preceded by an Indian victory.
What do they know of cricket diplomacy who only pay lip-service to it, asks Dileep Premachandran in the Dawn. Wednesday’s semifinal in Mohali is the most eagerly anticipated in the history of the game. But already, politicians on both sides have piggybacked on to the cricket bandwagon, ensuring that the stadium experience for thousands of fans will be a hellish one.
Hopefully, the atmosphere inside the stadium will be intense without a nasty edge. The better team will win, and the other should be left to reflect on a campaign that’s been far from a failure. Let’s not get caught in the usual pathetic spiral of accusing players of fixing and stoning their houses.
Akhila Ranganna is assistant editor (Audio) at ESPNcricinfo