It’s not just banter

India versus Pakistan clashes are probably one of the most eagerly awaited ones in all of world sports. Tempers run high during the matches, and things get even more intense if the game happens to be the final match of an important tournament.

Given that bilateral cricketing ties, as well as political situations between the two countries have been strained for a while, things came to a head when India played Pakistan on Sunday.

As it is wont to be, social media was abuzz with banter, as well as nasty mudslinging, between citizens of the two countries. But getting their hands dirty in the entire saga were celebrities and former cricketers, who let their tweets do the talking for them.

As Virender Sehwag talked about Father’s Day in connection with the upcoming match, Rishi Kapoor ruffled more than a few feathers by taking a dig at the neighbouring country’s spoken English, and bringing in the terrorism angle. Gautam Gambhir too joined the fray and asked the chairman of separatist Hurriyat party to ‘cross the border’ after a tweet about Pakistan’s win.

Comedian Kunal Kamra says, “It’s weird that Rishi Kapoor can’t differentiate between a Pakistani supporter and a terrorist. He thinks terrorists watch cricket.”

While everyone, including celebrities, are free to tweet what they want, says Kunal, it does make them look silly. “Yes, it did take away the attention from the game. A hundred per cent they look stupid when they rant like this. Sehwag too ended up with an egg on the face after the baap-beta saga only because there was a lot of pre-match banter.”

The contests on the field too have been intense affairs, reminisces former cricketer Vinod Kambli. “We have to understand that there’s a lot of pressure on the players too when there’s an India-Pakistan match in question. That existed so many years ago too. But despite the tensions between the two countries off the field, on it we played fair. We fight hard on the field, but off the field we’re friends.”

Former cricketer Balwinder Singh Sandhu agrees with Vinod with the fact that no matter what the conditions, the two teams have been friendly with each other once the gloves are off. “The truth of the matter is, that once you are on the field, there is no father, brother or friend. However, beyond the rope, people mostly get along. Personally, I never had any problems with cricketers from Pakistan either on or off the field,” he says.

He adds that it’s usually the hype that surrounds these contests that leads to people getting swept away. “I can’t really speak on behalf of the celebrities who posted such comments, but I can tell you a lot of it happens with the media hype around such games.”

“The crowd does get excitable, and it’s especially true for India-Pakistan games,” muses Balvinder.

Vinod adds that it’s a game at the end of the day and should be treated as such. “Back when we used to play against Pakistan, we never looked at it as a war,” he asserts. “We played it like it’s supposed to be — like a game. We never brought political issues in between.”

The fact remains that cricket will always lead to heightened passions, explains Kunal. “Would people get this abusive when India is playing Pakistan in any other sport? No. Cricket is a game that the masses follow,” he says, referring to the 7-1 thrashing India’s hockey team handed Pakistan on Sunday itself. “This happens only with cricket, and especially in the finals. It gives people the licence to go crazy. As for tweets, the crux of the matter is that Internet is free in India, and nothing free here is utilised well,” he concludes, with a laugh.

Historically, India-Pakistan ties have been marred with controversies that have often turned violent.

1991, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai: Even as Mumbai was all set to host Pakistan for a game at the Wankhede Stadium for a Test match, the Shiv Sena played miscreant. Members associated with the political party dug up the pitch strip as a mark of protest for the upcoming game. Not only the Mumbai Test, but the rest of the series too had to be called off after the incident.

1997, Karachi: India toured Pakistan for the first time after Sachin Tendulkar’s debut series in 1989-90. This time, the Master Blaster had arrived as the captain of the Indian cricket team. As the Indian cricketers took to the field, the spectators pelted them with stones at the boundary. After Sourav Ganguly became victim of a hit, Sachin decided that enough was enough, and walked off the field with his team. Referee Ranjan Madugalle sided with Tendulkar, as the crowd eventually cost Pakistan the match.

1999, Eden Gardens, Kolkata (pictured): The Test match between India and Pakistan saw a rather languorously stretched out referral to the third umpire, which saw Sachin Tendulkar being given a run out. The cricketer, who the crowd was rallying behind, had collided with pacer Shoaib Akhtar, and had to depart. Barely three balls in, chants of ‘cheat, cheat’ filled the stadium and Akhtar, who was to field in the deep, was pelted with bottles and other objects. After the match resumed and Indian wickets started to fall again, spectators started burning newspapers in the stand and the entire stadium had to be vacated before the match could resume.