The Indian team batted first and Virat Kohli was out in the middle putting on a crucial partnership for his side in a World Cup match. Steve Smith stood on the boundary while some of the Indian fans in the crowd were having a go at him. Smith had just returned after serving a one-year ban because the Australian team under him was found tampering with the ball in a Test series against South Africa. The incident had tarnished his reputation and the Indian fans weren’t letting him forget about it. Kohli noticed what was going on. He gestured towards the fans, and admonished them for giving Smith a hard time. He asked them to applaud the Australian instead. That was 2019.
Cut to four years later. On October 11, Kohli was out in the middle again versus Afghanistan when Naveen-Ul-Haq was being trolled by the Delhi crowd. Kohli and Naveen had had an unpleasant exchange in the Indian Premier League earlier this year, and the crowd seemed to be “avenging” that. But Kohli, once again, gestured towards the crowd and asked them not to do what they had been doing. After the match, both Kohli and Naveen shook hands, shared a smile and ended their so-called feud.
Considering this evidence in public domain, I believe Kohli would be embarrassed by the behaviour of some of his fans. After the India versus Bangladesh match, a dejected Bangladeshi fan following his team’s loss was in the middle of sharing his thoughts on camera when two or three fans – drunk on hypernationalism – forced themselves in the camera frame and shouted Kohli’s name in order to not let him speak. The Bangladesh supporter kept calm, melancholically smiled back at them and looked away. He was what the Indian fans weren’t: dignified.
Also read: Empty stadium, low energy levels: Has the 50-over World Cup run its course?
This is the second time in recent memory that India has hosted the 50-over World Cup. We all remember the iconic six of M.S. Dhoni in the 2011 final against Sri Lanka, which concluded the tournament. The Indian team carried the emotional Sachin Tendulkar on its shoulders around the Wankhede Stadium – a visual that still brings a lump in your throat.
India played some great cricket throughout the tournament in 2011, much like the ongoing World Cup. And yet, while things on the field have been great, a lot has changed off it. The 2011 World Cup was a celebration of cricket. Today, it seems like a vehicle to further a weird nationalism project. The romance of the game is a remnant of the past. What we have, sadly, is an abrasive, belligerent form of nationalism using this beautiful sport and its dignified sportspeople to score political brownie points.
The incident I mentioned earlier of Virat Kohli fans harassing a Bangladesh supporter isn’t an isolated one. After India defeated Bangladesh in Pune, Shoaib Ali, Bangladesh’s superfan, was harassed by the crowd. They tore apart a stuffed tiger, which is their team’s mascot, and flung it in the air. Shoiab is known for painting himself as a tiger and supporting the team from the ground at home and abroad. He is a bit of an equivalent to Sudhir Gautam, who is known to paint himself in the tricolour and is a huge Tendulkar fan. He is a common feature in India’s matches, like Shoaib is for Bangladesh.
The harassment of Shoiab left a bitter taste in the mouth even after India’s win and Kohli’s century. In fact, the Indian team's remarkable performance in this World Cup has been marred a bit by the crowd's boorish behaviour. There is a certain charm in being gracious in the face of glory. Some of the Indian fans clearly disagree.
Against Pakistan in Ahmedabad, the Indian team was flawless. It didn’t put a foot wrong. But the spectacle was an embarrassment. For starters, India blocked Pakistan’s fans and media from attending the marquee clash. Writing about it on ESPNCricinfo, Sambit Bal said, “I have watched India and Pakistan play in Lahore, Bengaluru, Adelaide, Centurion, Johannesburg, and now Ahmedabad, and never has a cricket ground felt so hopelessly lacking in something so essential: one group of fans.”
We heard the crowd hurling chants of Jai Shree Ram at Mohammad Rizwan after he got out. A friend of mine, who was in the stadium at the time, said the chants of Jai Shree Ram were almost prompted by the stadium DJ, who played the chant from the film Adipurush on more than one occasion. He further said there were some more slogans raised in the crowd that can’t even be repeated.
Phil Bland, a YouTuber, was also there at the game, where fans, including teenagers, sitting in the stadium told him that all Pakistanis think like animals and there aren't any good Pakistani people. Now imagine a Pakistan fan sitting amidst this crowd, celebrating Kohli’s wicket. I shudder.
To be sure, the players have not sent this message at all. In fact, the players have consciously and consistently sent a message of peace and brotherhood. The team under Kohli and now under Rohit Sharma has been nothing but friendly, respectful and warm towards Pakistan’s players. Through their actions, they have told the so-called fans that it’s just a game not war. But the message has clearly fallen on deaf ears.
A few days after the match in Ahmedabad, Pakistan travelled to Bengaluru to play against Australia. A fan sitting in the stadium shouted, “Pakistan Zindabad”, when a policeman intervened and asked him not to.
When Indian fans travel abroad and support the Indian team, we celebrate the fact that the players felt at home even when they were away from home. But when a Pakistan fan supports his country, why do we feel so insecure?
I am old enough to remember that cricket used to be a unifying force. In 1999, after Pakistan defeated India by 12 runs in Chennai, Wasim Akram took his team on a victory lap. It was a heartbreaking defeat. But the dejected Indian supporters swallowed the bitter pill, stood up and clapped for the opposition because they deserved it. We celebrated the team’s success and grieved the losses together. We loved our team but didn’t hate the opposition. Above all, we respected the people that played the sport and the respect wasn’t reserved only for Indian players. I want those days back. Is it too big an ask?
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