Gripping Sentiment of India-Pakistan game: I used to live very close to the main road wherein I would peep out of my balcony to see what’s happening around. The street was a rather busy one and I would hear constant honking and see people going about, carrying out their tasks. I was young and this one fine Saturday, there seemed to be a lull around. No horns, rare movement of people and I was amazed and a little scared at the same time. And on inquiry with my parents, I found out it was the day of an India-Pakistan World Cup game and this was a usual scene on the day of such a game.
It was 9 March 1996, and as a 6-year-old, had my first experience of an India-Pakistan game. The game had a lot to offer. A man in a turban, dancing down the track and hitting the bowlers all over the park was a fine sight! Navjot Singh Sidhu’s swashbuckling innings had put India in cruise control. Ajay Jadeja applied the finishing touches and India set a high total.
Pakistan’s chase began in fancy fashion and a certain Aamir Sohail hit Venkatesh Prasad for a smashing boundary, following it up with a brash gesture at Prasad, asking him to go fetch the ball. At this point, I did get an initial idea of the intensity and emotion involved in this game, only to then see Prasad then knocked him over the next ball, there was a gesture in equal proportion asking Aamir Sohail to go back to the pavilion. This further put light on the rivalry and tensions that existed and also the sentiments associated with the game.
Soon Pakistan tottered and India managed to bag a fancy win. Suddenly, it felt like Diwali with crackers bursting all over and some people even getting to the streets with dhols and speakers and dancing as if they had achieved their dream in life. This wasn’t it, the newspapers carried big stories of the game and news channels just going gaga over India’s fine win over their arch-rivals. They also reported a lot of Pakistani people breaking their TV sets in anger. That was my initial taste of this encounter and one that shaped up the image of this blockbuster clash in my mind.
Fast forward to 2019, I have had the chance to witness all the other 5 World Cup encounters closely and have fond memories of each of them. While India-Pakistan is a very special game, it coming in a World Cup just elevates the magnanimity by some proportion. And ever since, these things have remained constant- India winning, empty streets on the day of the match, and firecrackers bursting after the game.
Every single of the India-Pakistan matches has had something special about it. While India had a torrid 1999 World Cup as they lost 2 of their 3 Super 6’s games but the solitary win against Pakistan gave people a sense of relief and achievement and they were happy to take that away from the game. Bowing out of the tournament mattered lesser as compared to the win against Pakistan and hence, sorrow was somehow washed away by the joy.
Over to 2003 and Sachin and Sehwag sent a smile to every Indian’s face as they thumped the Pakistan bowling and in the process, invented the new uppercut, making this encounter even more worthy. Similar stories were repeated as India got the better of Pakistan in the 2011 and 2015 World Cup and India rejoiced.
Over time, the culture of people getting together for this game over screenings in homes, bars, RWA’s, institutes, etc. has propped up with everyone who want to be deeply involved with the emotion of the game. India-Pakistan clash has called for special planning with people shunning all other work for some other day in favor of this epic battle.
This isn’t it! People have even indulged in carrying out hawans and yagya (form of prayers) ahead of the games to ensure India wins while people on the other side get into their rituals of chadar chadhana (dedicating a sheet to god) to get the result in their favour. It doesn’t stop there. There are mini-sessions of domestic prayers being carried out when things don’t look too much in control. Adults, kids, alike; everyone is so involved and tensed during the course of the game as if their life depended on it. But well, that’s the whole charm of an India-Pakistan game. It would be second only to a very few things in life!
Now it is time for another of the classic India-Pakistan encounters and the flares have already started to rise. First, it was India, claiming to be Pakistan’s abbu (father) in an ad which was then followed by Pakistan mocking Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan. Poonam Pandey then came into her own taking a dig at Pakistan. And with the game still about a couple of days away, expect a lot more of this going around.
Also Check: Poonam Pandey Gives a Befitting Response to Abhinandan Ad by Removing her Bralette
With battles like these, there is ought to be banter, but the need of the hour is healthy, entertaining banter rather than some hate-spewing stuff that has been going around lately.
Right or wrong later, these incidents highlight the involvement of people and broadcasters in the build-up to the game, touted to be the biggest in the game of cricket despite being heavily lopsided.
Come 16th June 2019, the plans would be set, the shopping of crackers done. We can expect yet another special moment in the game, as has been the case in most of these affairs, and of course, empty streets, people thronged to TV sets, firecrackers bursting and last but not the least, some TV sets being broken on one end of the border.
