by Shuvait Koul
The script couldn’t have been written better for the biggest encounter of 2011 Cricket World cup- an India-Pakistan clash in the semis. However, more than the eyeball to eyeball confrontation that will unleash between Dhoni and Afridi’s men in Mohali tomorrow, it is the diplomacy surrounding this game that has garnered more attention.
The question though, that looms large, is that whether the hype that this game has encompassed will serve as an ice-breaker in the strained ties between the two neighbours, post the Mumbai terror attacks. Symbolically, Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani’s visit is touted to be an important step in the context of Indo-Pak relations, yet one wonders whether the kind of hype that has been given to it makes sense or not.
It is also noteworthy that there must already be a lot of butterflies in the stomachs of players from both the sides and to allow diplomatic subjects to overshadow cricket comes in as a concept hard to buy.
Cricket has always been a tantalizing platform for political stalwarts across the LoC to create an amicable atmosphere for a dialogue - Zia ul-Haq’s visit to India in 1987 for an ODI match and Musharraf’s visit in 2005 serving as some high-profile instances. But it’s hard to shy away from the fact that diplomatic overtones given to Indo-Pak cricket battles have always had a meagre life-span.
Cricket does establish bridges between the people across the border but how much it does to the establishment of peace and harmony between the arch rivals is highly debatable. One can only wish that the spirit of the game doesn’t become a casualty owing to such symbolisms.
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