Srinagar, March 27 (IANS) As
archrivals India and Pakistan gear
for a face-off in the cricket World Cup
semi-finals in Mohali Wednesday,
passions are running high among
the ardent cricket lovers of Kashmir
Valley, where both teams enjoy a
large fan following. Matches
between India and Pakistan have
the power to evoke great passions.
An old-timer vividly remembers an
incident during a Test match in
Delhi, way back in the 1950s, when
radio was the only means of running
commentaries on sports events.
'A meat seller in Kokerbazar,
adjacent to Lal Chowk, sliced his
transistor into two with a butcher's
knife after the commentator
announced Pakistan's captain Hanif
Mohammad had been bowled,'
recalled Abdul Rehman Sheikh, 89.
Pakistan cricket players have a large
following - cutting across all ages -
in the old areas of Srinagar city.
'Some years back, an elderly woman
suffered a fatal heart attack in the
old city after a Pakistan star batsman
was out for a duck,' a police officer
said.
It is not only the Pakistan cricketers
who evoke strong feelings among
the sports lovers in the Valley.
Indian players especially Sachin
Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and
captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni have
ardent fans among the youth here.
'Sachin is not only a cricket player,
he is a phenomenon perhaps never
to be equalled by others,' said
Danish, 18, a student.
Owais, 21, is a great fan of Sehwag
and Dhoni.
'To maintain your cool while you
stand behind the stumps and also
captain the team is not an easy job.
Dhoni has been doing it like a rock.
Sehwag has been the sultan of
Multan where he scored a double
ton.'
'The clash between India and
Pakistan is the most interesting
sports event in my life although I
have more favourites in the Indian
team,' Owais told IANS.
Streets usually get deserted in
Srinagar during India-Pakistan
sports clashes with government
offices, business establishments and
educational institutions largely
empty.
The Mohali match is no exception,
with people looking forward to it.
'The Mohali match is the mother of
all matches as both India and
Pakistan would be fighting each
other to get into the finals. Perhaps,
the clash between India and
Pakistan is the only sports event
when not only the players, but also
the spectators and sport lovers give
their best to the match,' said
Muhammad Ashraf, 59, a former
cricketer and Ranji trophy selector
here.
He contended any team which
scores above 275 runs would be the
winner.
'Because of being a very strong
team and the fact that they would be
playing before a home crowd, I
think the Indian players would be
under higher tension than their
rivals,' Ashraf said.
B.L. Saraf, 54, another cricket lover
said although India has never won
any of the previous two Mohali
clashes with Pakistan, yet he is
confident that they would give their
100 percent to create history this
time.
Meanwhile, the high passions could
create some problems for security
personnel.
'Emotions always run high in the old
city areas during India-Pakistan
sports clashes. Then there is the
problem of firecrackers among those
who follow any Pakistan sports
victory. An explosive noise is usually
indicative of a grenade blast or a
landmine explosion in the city as
has been our experience during the
last 20 years of violence here.
'Such events sometimes startle the
security men deployed on ground,' a
senior police officer, who did not
want to be named, told IANS.
Some police officers, especially in
old city areas, have been requesting
people not to create commotion on
the streets during or after the Mohali
match on Wednesday.
However, some people say the
India-Pakistan matches no longer
create the same tension.
'Despite what many believe, there is
a lot of difference between the past
and the present. Because of access to
satellite television, tempers have
cooled down to a greater extent,'
said Muzaffar Ahmad, a professor at
a local college here.
'Most locals, especially the youth,
fully understand that a game is a
game and if the Indian prime
minister can invite the Pakistan
president and the prime minister to
Mohali, why should the locals ignite
passions.
'Further, the tensions in Kashmir are
directly dependant on the straining
of relations between India and
Pakistan. If the two South Asia
neighbours finally make peace
between themselves, the ultimate
beneficiaries would be us,' he
added.
And yet, a certain nervousness is
palpable in the Valley. Who will win?
Who will play better? These
questions definitely cease to remain
just academic in Kashmir when it
comes to an India-Pakistan clash.
No comments:
Post a Comment