*FROM CRICKET COMMUNALISM TO CRICKET NEUTRALITY* http://www.indianexpress.com/news/a-primer-for-mohali/769053/0
A primer for Mohali* Sandeep Dwivedi<http://www.indianexpress.com/columnist/sandeepdwivedi/> * * Tags : sandeep dwivedi, column, indian express, A primer for Mohali* *Posted: Wed Mar 30 2011, 01:00 hrs * *Such a long journey from being a partisan support to a cricket fan* *It was a rare day for us kids, that sultry Saturday evening of April 1986. Forget dividing ourselves in two teams for our usual tennis-ball cricket game, we didn’t even feel like planting the stumps. About 24 hours back, Javed Miandad had a last ball six at Sharjah and the trauma had drained our energies. * *Excuse or explanation failed us and the biggest heartbreak of our young lives was way too complex to deal with. That’s when one of us repeated what he had heard at home. “My father said, we can never beat them on a Friday,” said a subdued voice. The impasse was over. Finally, we had an excuse, and an explanation too, that helped us to come to terms with India’s loss. The “Bad Friday” logic suited us and there were slow, wise nods all around. * *Suddenly, Chetan Sharma had sympathy as now it was fate that was burdened with the ignominy of bowling a full toss. “Poor Sharma, he was merely attempting to bowl a yorker,” we concluded. * *In hindsight, that was our first encounter with cricket’s uncontrollables. Worse, that was also when cricketing communalism silently seeped into our immature minds for the first time. Unseen and unfelt by us, objectivity and cricketing commonsense exited with this new overbearing arrival. * *Miandad’s quick reflexes and his unflappable temperament were now seen as incidental happenings in the pro-Pakistan designs that we believed the Maker had penned for all Fridays. Heavy emotional investment in India-Pakistan games and the juvenile interpretation of patriotism had taken a toll on us. The sports fan in us died. With time, he was to take a rebirth within us but not before we had missed several memorable sporting spectacles and failed to acknowledge or appreciate many great individual cricketing feats. * *Getting up to switch off the television with Sachin Tendulkar’s dismissal and closing one’s eyes during a stunning spell by a hostile pacer from across the border were rituals strictly followed on big India-Pakistan match days. * *Many fellow cricket crazies became mental wrecks. For them, the bat-and-ball skills became irrelevant as they started believing that match fortunes fluctuated by keeping one’s fingers crossed. Some even took great pains to convince others that it was the colour of their garments that had influenced India’s win. * *Those were the Sharjah days during the illogical 1980s when absurdities were part of the whole cricketing experience. That was the time when most wanted criminals sat in VVIP boxes with their families, sub-standard commentators were seen to be entertaining and the word shady wasn’t just used to describe the comfortable stands under those desert canopies. * *But something changed for us rabid and partisan Indian supporters during the 1992 World Cup. India was to exit early but the supreme Channel 9 coverage was way too entertaining for us Doordarshan addicts to turn our backs on the action from * *Australia and New Zealand. That’s when we actually saw Pakistan without bias. That’s when we actually made an attempt to know our neighbours. Not distracted by prayer or superstition, we sat wide-eyed to watch those amazing men in green. * *They were a very skilful bunch led by a skipper whose walk on the field was similar to the gait that the Big Cats in African jungles flaunt when the National Geographic men pan their cameras on their pride. * *There was a teenaged batting prodigy whose limited English vocabulary didn’t include the word pressure. A short and stodgy young leg-spinner with magical fingers who turned veteran batsmen into fumbling novices. * *A couple of pacers with speed, guile and skills had a habit of shattering stumps with dream balls. Imran Khan led a team that had several show stoppers like Inzamam-ul Haq, Mushtaq Ahmed, Wasim Akram and Aaqib Javed. * *It wasn’t a tough call when the super-entertaining Pakistan bunch played the bland English unit in the final. As Imran lifted the spherical crystal trophy we saw cricket in a new light. * *The cobwebs had cleared, our neighbours were suddenly the cool guys. The transformation from a fanatical India fan to a more mature cricket follower took time, but it was a change for the better. * *The mind is at peace, the brain works logically and even in these days of mad frenzy the sanity is intact. Having experienced the edgy life on the other side, I can vouch that the present state of semi-neutrality with a certain soft-corner for India is pleasant. I have availed the power to smirk and walk off with a smile when some Shahid Afridi vs Yuvraj Singh kind of debate ceases to be a cricket discussion and dissolves into ugly rhetoric. Since the game is always the winner, you can never be a sore loser. * *After appreciating a classic Tendulkar cover drive, in case an Umar Gul in-cutter makes way between the Indian opener’s bat and pad, he too deserves at least a few claps. And if Zaheer Khan loses the race to be the leading wicket-taker to Afridi, it would not be the end of the world. Zaheer and Afridi have done enough to be judged by their showing in one tournament. * *The idea here isn’t about being saintly, but it is the best way to deal with the war references and attempts to turn a cricket game into a gladiatorial duel. With the rulers of the two nations present in the stands, Mohali on Wednesday will have a perfect coliseum feel to it. * *It is a challenge to cut out clichés and stereotypical sentiments from an Indo-Pak cricketing contest. But in case one achieves that blissful higher plane of cricketing neutrality, watching two sides with unique and outstanding skill sets would be a serene experience, and not necessarily a nerve-jangling ordeal. * *[email protected]* -------------------------------------------- http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIM/2011/03/30&PageLabel=4&EntityId=Ar00403&ViewMode=HTML Stars indicate a nail-biter Chittaranjan Tembhekar | TNN *Mumbai: The situation appears to be fluid, even among the stars. Astrologers indicate that the stars do not favour any team outright in today’s World Cup semi-final at Mohali, which means that a nail-biting finish could be on the cards. Some numerologists, though, are veering towards an India win. Hundreds of people have begun consulting astrologers and numerologists to know in advance who will win the Indo-Pak clash. Some Mumbaikars are even deciding whether to watch the match or not after consulting the pundits. Astrologer Ajai Bhambi said the match is starting at 2.30 pm, while at 4.07 pm the moon will change position and move from Capricorn to Aquarius. “This may trigger sudden changes and offset equations in the early part of the match. However, there will be no major changes in the second half.” Bhambi said the team batting first will have to weather the early problems. “If you compare the players’ stars, both teams have equal chances. However, Dhoni’s stars are down, which is a cause for worry. I wish him the best,” said Bhambi. Pandit Suvashit Raj, an astrologer said the position of Saturn is not in India’s as well as Tendulkar’s favour. “It seems that Pakistan has better chances of winning. But the position of Shani, which remains uncertain, will decide the game’s fate,” he added. Numerologist Sanjay Jumaani, who has been getting calls from several people who want to know the possible result, said the numbers were in India’s favour. Normally, if India has to do well, the numbers 3, 6 and 9 matter the most as India’s number is 3 (Jupiter) and Bharat’s number is 6 (Venus). This is proven if you look at past victories and defeats, said Jumaani. “Since the match is being held on the 30th, that means the numbers are in India’s favour. The Australia match was on the 24th (adding up to 6). India had a target of 261 (9). Ahmedabad is 27 (9) and the Man of the Match was Yuvraj, whose jersey is 12 (3),” said Jumani. He added that Mohali is again 21 (3). Mumbai, where the final will be held, is 18 (9). On the other hand, Jumaani said that Pakistan’s number is 7, which does not favour the venue of Mohali. However, he added that 2011 is Pakistan’s lucky year. “Afridi’s number is 1 and he is the dark horse. Players like Kamran Akmal and Mohammed Hafeez need to be watched,” added Jumaani. Aniket Gupte, a Bandra resident, said his astrologer told him that India will have the edge in a nail-biting finish. “My astrologer has told me that the result will be decided in the last two hours, so I am going to watch it with total concentration,” he added. Meanwhile, Dilip Mehta, a Colaba resident, will skip the match as his astrologer friend predicted a defeat for India. * -------------- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "humanrights movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/humanrights-movement?hl=en.
