To preserve the fragile Indo-Pak hyphen in sports, the city hosting the India-Pakistan match must be Chennai ’99 rather than Kolkata ’96.
The then-Sports Minister MS Gill made a statement during those frantic months leading up to the 2010 Commonwealth Games that still provides solace to all sports officials battling deadlines before major competitions. The bureaucrat turned legislator issued a prediction that largely came true after growing weary of addressing inquiries about incomplete stadiums and numerous organizational hiccups.
“Ignore the delays. We’ll have a magnificent Games, just like the chaotic arrangement in an Indian wedding depicted in the movie “Monsoon Wedding,” Gill had remarked.
Similar to the Delhi CWG 2010, India prepares for another wedding in October, but not everything is proceeding as expected. The 50 over World Cup, cricket’s oldest and biggest rock concert, is less than two months away, but the supporters are still waiting for the final adjusted schedule. They have to deal with the uncertainty regarding match-day ticket sales while accepting their losses from the airline cancellations.
The India-Pakistan league match, which is scheduled for October 15—the day Gujarat enters a 9-day garb frenzy to celebrate Navratri—is the event at the crux of his anxiety.
Unofficially, the potential security risk is the cause of the anticipated date change, although BCCI secretary Jay Shah insists that it is due to ‘requests for adjustment’ made by other boards. Regardless of the reality, the following questions demand an answer: The Pachanga, which includes Hindu holidays, wasn’t cited while creating the timetable. Before the ICC made the itinerary public, wasn’t it approved by all of the participating countries?
Like in Monsoon Wedding, this “delay” is the drizzle that is annoying but won’t dampen the thrill of a World Cup that will be played in a stadium filled with the most ardent supporters of the sport.
When it comes to hosting, the BCCI is a World Cup veteran. Back in 1987, even without the present day riches or infrastructure, they put up a show that’s mostly remembered for spectacular cricketing action.
There are enough trained personnel on staff for an organisation that annually hosts a 10-team “home and away” IPL. They are all familiar with the match-day procedure, including the groundskeeper, bus driver, turnstile operator, and parking attendant. The India-Pak game in Ahmedabad will test the organisers, security services, hotel personnel, and, of course, the fans. But the World Cup is not a MI vs. Titans match.
Ahmedabad was viewed with mistrust long before the ICC released the schedule. Pakistan increased their ante when it was revealed that the famed battle of the neighbours in cricket would likely take place at the Narendra Modi stadium, the largest stadium in the globe.
When Najam Sethi, the then-head of the PCB, heard this statement, he laughed and thought to himself, “This is one method to make sure we don’t travel to India. I don’t want to get into politics, but there surely seems to be one here because Ahmedabad is one city where we can see security concerns. This is a red herring that is being used to warn us that Ahmedabad is where we will be tricking you.
Pakistan warmed to the notion of playing at Modi stadium by the time the schedule was revealed. PCB was requested by their former players not to press for a change. Ahmedabad must now comport themselves to the highest standards. Indian supporters haven’t been very forgiving after losing a vital World Cup game. Images of Vinod Kambli crying and the burning Eden Gardens following the horrific 1996 World Cup semifinal serve as a constant reminder of Indian cricket’s disgraceful past.
The nation’s collective dream of winning the Cup had built during much of that March. Before Aravinda de Silva began treating Anil Kumble like a club bowler, that is. Ahmedabad must emulate Chennai, the sports-loving city that gave a standing ovation to the Wasim Akram-led team following Pakistan’s victory in the 1999 Test, rather than Kolkata.
There’s a good chance Ahmedabad may witness Pakistani supporters waving flags from the stands. They don’t need to be concerned about their safety if the long-standing tradition of Indo-Pak games is upheld at the venue. Although the two nations experienced a painful separation, cricket fans from the two countries coexisted amicably in the stands. There is stern flag-waving and occasionally finger-wagging, but there is very little additional infraction.
Professor Ratnakar Shetty, a seasoned administrator in Indian cricket, wrote a chapter about India’s historic trip to Pakistan in 2004 in his book “My Years in BCCI.” He narrates the touching atmosphere that followed India’s thrilling victory in the one-day series in Lahore here.
“We saw things that had to be seen to be believed after the game. Imagine Indians dancing on the streets of Lahore while waving the tricolour and listening to Pakistanis playing drums! Unbelievable, yet that evening, it is exactly what took place. Ahmedabad will have a challenging task ahead of it.
The premiers of both countries asked their cricketers to serve as peace ambassadors during the tour, which was high on cricket diplomacy. Before the team boarded the plane to cross the border, Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee would extend an invitation to his residence. ‘Khel bhi jeeto aur dil bhi’ would be written on a bat that Vajpayee would present the team. The poet PM would ask the naval band to play “Hum honge kaamyaab” just as the team was about to depart.
The evening in Pakistan when President Musharraf hosted the teams for tea is also described in detail by Shetty. As he talked with the players from both teams and cracked jokes, some of which were directed at the Pakistani team, he was in a cheerful frame of mind. The extravagant array of food, which was ghee-rich, was referred to as “weapons of mass destruction” by the speaker, Shetty wrote.
Ahmedabad needs to keep in mind that when India and Pakistan face off in a cricket match, antagonistic neighbours talk about peace and even generals break the ice by using deadly war equipment.
In Shetty’s book, there is also a charming passage that captures the love-hate relationship that the country has with its shared past. Sharad Pawar, the BCCI president, invited the Pakistan team to his home for dinner during Pakistan’s reciprocal trip of India. Nusli Wadia, Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s grandson, and India’s top industrialist Nusli Pawar were thoughtfully included on the guest list.
