No rub of the green

Tribune News Service

Gaurav Kanthwal

Ahmedabad, October 15

Mass gatherings reflect collective consciousness — a village fair sums up the mood of its people, a musical concert spreads love through a common language, a religious congregation signifies the confluence of one faith.

A sports gathering is something else, however. It is the mingling of contrasting realms under an umbrella of universal brotherhood: Fanatics vigorously root for their team from start to end, but also appreciate the other side’s grit and gumption.

Partisanship, hatred and prejudice are always looked down upon — in sports and in life as well; this is the fundamental principle sports relays to society.

A day after the India-Pakistan ICC ODI World Cup match turned out to be a mismatch before a crowd of over a lakh, roads and pathways near the stadium were littered with shirts and caps which the fans had thrown off in order to put on the Indian blues. The stadium was a sea of blue. However, there was not one Pakistan flag to support the visiting team.

At the Narendra Modi Stadium, the world’s biggest cricket ground, support for India was so big that the other side seized to exist.

“It was a one-sided affair in every sense. The vibe was missing,” said Akash Rajvi, 18, who was witnessing an India-Pakistan match in a stadium for the first time.

Was the absence of Pakistani fans among the reasons for it? It is for the first time that fans of a particular country were shunned by the host in an ICC event. That it happened in the ICC ODI World Cup is even more surprising.

The news is that Pakistan fans were not granted visas for the tournament by the government. A handful of Pakistan-origin US citizens, including the famous Basheer Chacha, and a few journalists were lost in the sea of blue yesterday.

“Aisa kyun kiya?” Bhavesh Patel, 15, attired in India’s blues and a King Kohli crown quizzically asks his father as fans trooping out of the stadium debate the absence of Pakistan’s fans in this high-profile game.

Looking back at the memorable evening, Gujarat University student Jitendra Behara, 19, rued: “Had Pakistan fans also come here, it would have been double the fun. The Mexican waves at the stadium would have been more colourful. The energy level would not have gone down for a bit.”

“Why were they not allowed this time around?” he asks as an afterthought.

Did Pakistan fans’ absence led to their team’s dismal performance? Pakistan team director Mickey Arthur admitted that he’d be lying if he said it did not affect them. “It didn’t seem like an ICC event, to be brutally honest. It seemed like a bilateral series; it seemed like a BCCI event. I didn’t hear ‘Dil Dil Pakistan’ coming through the microphones too often tonight,” he said.

Asked if this was acceptable for an ICC event like the World Cup, Arthur said: “Look, I don’t think I can comment on that just yet. I don’t want to get fined.”

One of the biggest sporting rivalries in the world, if not the biggest, India vs Pakistan matches — be it in hockey, lawn tennis or cricket — egg the fans on to frenzy.

Cricket fans on both sides are always on the lookout to experience this rare event. In the past one decade, it has become rarer still with all the doors shut for bilateral series.

Pakistan head coach Grant Bradburn’s thoughts were the same as those of the fans. “We are really sad that Pakistan’s supporters aren’t here. They would love to be here and I am sure Indian cricket fans would love our supporters here as well,” he said.

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