By Hadeel Obaid (8th November, 2012)

Cricket is not for the weak of heart, just ask any avid cricket follower. We go from cheering our team to abusing their downfalls in a matter of 6 balls. Children become instantly religious at the prospect of a super over and when it comes to a Pakistan-India match, one can only see red. There is no rivalry as electrifying and emotional as that between these two cricketing nations and the history, passion and respect remains unmatched.

I have never been able to understand why the world is fixated on pitting these two countries against each other. 65 years ago there would have been no difference. Imagine a team that starts with Gambhir and Sehwag and has the bowling strength of Ajmal and Gul, a dream team, virtually invincible. Pakistanis are taught as children to hate India, Gandhi vs. Jinnah isn’t too far off from Kohli vs. Ajmal, our history ingrained in us since we’re born and it all stems from there. Stadiums have witnessed broken chairs and random fires, grown men have beaten each other silly over playful slander and there is an eerie sense of pride and determination when both nations national anthems play.

 

I love a good Pakistan vs. India match. Watching Shoaib Akthar bowl Sachin Tendulkar’s middle stump out of the ground, seeing the passion and heart with which the game is played, one is inevitably engulfed in the hysteria of it all. I have had near heart attacks and sleepless nights, cried relentlessly over losses, bargained with God over bowl outs and have felt the familiar pang of ultimate disappointment. Most recently, we faced the utter humiliation of losing to India in the T20 world cup, but there are no words to describe how thrilling it was to send them home after all! I understand healthy cricket rivalry, it keeps things interesting and is part of any competitive sport, the ashes for example showcases good quality cricket with the kind of heat and intensity often reserved for the Asian tigers. A Pakistan vs. India match has become reminiscent of a war, the atmosphere, the pressure and the expectation of entire nations where cricket has often replaced religion is hard sought elsewhere. Most recently, the BCCI after a 5-year hiatus has allowed Pakistan to tour India for a short stint in December and the fans have been smitten! The ad campaigns make it seem like the pride of an entire nation relies on a game of cricket and too often we judge foreign relations on cricketing ties, expecting a 3-hour game to change the fate of a country.

 

Amongst this cricket frenzy, I try to leave my bias behind and take an objective look into why Pakistanis are so emotional about their cricket rivalry with India. Why is it that a victory against them has a broken nation dancing on the streets? Why does the whole nation stand still when 11 men face their archrivals? Why are we as Pakistanis so obsessed with beating India? We listen to their music, sell our souls to the Bollywood industry, we are more similar than we are different so why does an Indian victory blind us with irrationality and emotion we never knew existed? The truth is, we envy India and before you all come at me with knives and pitchforks, bear in mind that I am as patriotic a Pakistani as one can be, but the truth can only be silenced for so long. While Pakistan cannot host any international teams, India has Schumacher driving in their backyard at their Air Tel Grand Prix. They have the IPL that attracts mega super stars in the sporting world and otherwise. You have Madonna and Katy Perry opening their cricket series and in Pakistan you’d be lucky if Ali Zafar would grace us with his presence. Their education system is light years ahead of ours and their universities are world-renowned. Their women can walk on the streets and drive motorcycles without fearing for their lives and their Bollywood industry alone rakes in more than our entire countries national income. Their passports are not scorned, they are not viewed as terrorists and some of the richest most illustrious businesses have risen from India in recent times. It is a bitter pill to swallow and ill be the first to admit I dismiss such arguments but perhaps Pakistan is a country struck with so much political turmoil and civil hardships, that a win against India in a cricket match is the one way for us to prove that we are better than them. Pakistanis can proudly proclaim independence wasn’t a mistake, that we are a formidable force to be reckoned with and for a few brief moments, we can savor the pure joy and happiness that runs through a nation, from the street urchin to the business tycoon.

 

Pakistan is a country that thrives on their love for cricket. It gives us citizens’ faith, a sense of hope to hold on even when things seem devastatingly bleak. We don’t have a strong film industry, we don’t have very many idols, but ask the beggar on the street who he looks up to and 9/10 times he’ll have the name Afridi on his lips. India may also have their fair share of issues, but they don’t rely on cricket to be their glue. Since the Mumbai attacks of 2008, India has shut us out. The most lucrative league in the world, the IPL has denied the entry of Pakistanis, the champions league up until 2012 did not even consider our strongest domestic team Sialkot Stallions and even then they were subjected to a qualification round. The BCCI with its immense wealth and authority has retained the strength of the Indian cricket team while simultaneously shutting out the Pakistan cricket team; the rivalry only thickens.

 

Cricket is not for the weak of heart, just ask any avid cricket follower. The feel of a Pakistan-India game is raw and real and perhaps it is the hype and pressure and the expectation and irrationality of the fans that brings the beauty of the game to life. As Pakistanis we expect those 11 men to safeguard our pride and honor and to shoulder the burden of an entire country’s problems. Perhaps when we look to India we see progress, 65 years ago we made a choice to break free and while they have taken steps forward, we find ourselves taking a few further back each year. I salute the triumphs of Sachin and I pray for Yuvraj but come match day, friends become enemies, history plays on repeat and the heart and soul of every Pakistani lies in the hands of their heroes; the jitters have already begun.