mobanmarketNew Delhi: The old adage that sports and politics do not mix will ring hollow again when former champions India and Pakistan clash in a geopolitically charged World Cup match months after being on the verge of war.
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Tensions run high in any sporting contest featuring the nuclear-armed neighbours who have fought two of their three wars since independence over Kashmir, which both claim in full but rule in part.
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Bilateral cricketing ties between them have remained suspended since 2008 and relations further soured in February this year after a suicide car bombing that killed at least 40 Indian paramilitary police in Indian-controlled Kashmir.
Indian warplanes carried out air strikes inside Pakistan, which retaliated with its own aerial mission before a full-blown conflict was averted.
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Several former India players urged Virat Kohli’s men to boycott the June 16 match in Old Trafford, Manchester, against their arch-rivals while others saw more merit in playing and extending India’s 6-0 unbeaten record against Pakistan in World Cups.
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“India-Pakistan matches have always been billed as the final before the final, because people have attached political factors to the game,” cricket historian Boria Majumdar told Reuters.
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Sports and politics always mingle, he said, recalling the black armband protest at the 2003 World Cup by Zimbabwe duo Andy Flower and Henry Olonga against Robert Mugabe’s political regime.
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“The moment you are singing the national anthem on the sports field you are invoking a strong sense of nationalism. And what else is it but a political statement,” says Majumdar.
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Also in 2003, England refused to tour Harare for a World Cup match, citing security fears after then Prime Minister Tony Blair called on them to pull out in protest against Mugabe’s regime.
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Kohli and his team mates wore army camouflage-style caps in a one-day match against Australia in March to show solidarity with the Indian paramilitary police killed in the Kashmir attack.
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The Indian board subsequently made an unsuccessful attempt at isolating Pakistan in world cricket and raised security concerns for its players in England.
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“The pressure will be immense on both teams,” Majumdar said.
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“The hype is massive, tickets have been sold out, and the broadcasters will project it as the final before the final.
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“Every player in his heart of hearts knows this is a very different game, an opportunity to become a national hero.”