Let's not kid ourselves. India and Pakistan have had a complicated relationship ever since 1947. We have been at war, there have been phases of uneasy peace and over the last few years, terror attacks from across the border have not helped to diffuse the situation. So much so, it has spilled onto the cricket field and fans see it as a war without weapons.
Things were so bad that there were calls not to play Pakistan in the World Cup though we did and won easily. India does not even want to play in Pakistan and have urged the Asia Cup to be shifted to a neutral venue. In other words, India and Pakistan are not in a good place right now with each other. Fans fighting online, jingoism, hyper-nationalism and also over the top trolling have tarnished the game in the past.?
But there is light at the end of the tunnel. India and Pakistan faced off in the semis of the Under-19 World Cup in South Africa and guess what? We got to see cricket without too much bad blood be it on the field, online or off the field. Yes, the fact that we won as an added bonus but it was the youngsters showing us the way.?
Sports and politics need to be separate when on the field and both sides displayed just that. There was no aggressive overdose when Pakistani wickets tumbled, players did not engage in verbal spats and for once it looked like an actual cricket match and not the Mother of All Battles.?
In the end we won by 10 wickets. The bowlers bundled them out for 172. India chased it down thanks to an unbroken opening stand. Yashasvi Jaiswal's 105 not out was the icing on the cake.?
What was great to see was that the fans were soaking in the atmosphere as well. In fact they respected each other's company and supported their teams. Yes the Pakistani fans were no doubt sad at the end of it, but they behaved like proper supporters.?
On a rare occasion, we got to see and India vs Pakistan match for what it is, a game of cricket. No additional pressure as two sides just did what they did best. The boys have shown us the way and that is great to see. Pakistan lost the game, but they won our respect of how they conducted themselves. India won more than just the game, but also maintained their dignity in a high-pressure encounter.?
Hopefully this sends a precedent for future India-Pakistan matches especially at the top level. After all, the cricket is what we come to see.???