How the India-Pakistan Champions Trophy cricket match impacts us
India is scheduled to play Pakistan in the Champions Trophy tomorrow in England. Tensions are already in the air on both sides. The world is aware that any sports event where the two nations play one another, irrespective of the game, is almost a battlefield packed with tensions, with no nation willing to surrender a quarter.
Hence, seeking financial benefits, the organisers schedule the match considering sub-continent timings as also plan it for a holiday, seeking maximum viewership. Supporters of both nations would pack the stands, creating more noise in this one game, than in all others combined.
Tickets may be available for any other match, including those involving the hosts, but the stands would be packed for this encounter. In both countries, roads would be empty, crowds missing from cinema halls and markets, glued to television sets, watching the match, as if it was a battle along the Line of Control (LoC), being played out on television sets. Even in villages, the match would generate similar tensions.
Politically such an event comes to the fore with the Opposition in India braying for backing out, solely to indicate its anger against Pakistan for its behaviour and support to terrorism. In Pakistan, there is always silence, hoping India would take such action, giving them a win and an advantage.
For the Indian Army responsible for manning the LoC, there is no let up, as troops would be expecting Pakistan to take advantage of cricket mania to push militants through. For both nations, winning is a means of showing dominance, without realising that it is a game, where winning and losing continues and a loss does not imply being out of the tournament.
Tensions are such for either team that losing the tournament is not such an embarrassment, as losing to the adversary. While for once, Indian newspapers have been maintaining a low key on the match, Pakistani newspapers have articles and articles on the same.
The public impact is such that in places prayers would be offered, blessings invoked seeking a win, thus indicating dominance.
While in India, winning or losing would be accepted as normal, possibly a few hours post the game, in Pakistan the future of its players is at stake. This becomes more pronounced as sporting ties between the two countries remain strained due to political compulsions and rarely do the teams play one another, even when they do, it is only in an international arena.
In India, there would be tensions, especially in areas where religious divides remain. The Kashmir valley would witness a spurt of Pakistani flags being flown and possibly public outcry depending on the result, either despondency from loss or celebrations with Pakistani flags from a win.
Pakistan cricket colours would be openly displayed tomorrow in cities and villages, while the game is in progress. Local police authorities would have no time to witness the match, as they would be preparing for a possible showdown on the streets, post the match, irrespective of the result.
Even within the nation, there have been occasions when the match has resulted in Pakistani flags being flown in some areas or the Pakistani team being cheered in college hostels, especially where Kashmiri students or minorities hold sway. This has resulted in tensions flying high and subsequent violence.
The younger generation considers supporting Pakistan as strongly anti-national, especially considering recent events in the Valley, hence would respond with force. Thus, college hostel authorities would remain alert.
The players would always feel the pressures, even more in this case, for a variety of reasons. Firstly, for both, this is the first encounter in this tournament, which is always difficult, and secondly, losing to an adversary always has an impact on return, especially as many players come from small towns, where tensions remain high. To add to pressures is the fact that the Indian team is defending its title. It would be a game involving mental strength and calibre, with the captains leading from the front.
In the ultimate analysis, it is not a match, but a battlefield, with high tensions, providing the highest viewership for the tournament to the sponsors. For security agencies, police authorities and college wardens, it is not a holiday, but a day of controlling the aftermath of the game and preventing things going beyond control.
The enmity between the two nations would be visible in the stands, even though the two communities live cheek by jowl in England. The battleground would shift for one day to Edgbaston and would be live for both nations in the afternoon. For non-cricket fans, an ideal day for movie watching, shopping or a drive, as all roads and malls would be empty. An India-Pakistan match provides all the drama, the outcome of which has been the topic of local debates for days.