The qualifying match between India and Pakistan must be the most discussed topic in traditional as well as social media over the past week and especially through yesterday!
And what a match it was!
Age old political differences and all kinds of mixed emotions rolled into one game where pressures were mounting every second. Mohali was the place to be yesterday, but those of us who were watching the big screens in offices or at homes weren’t rendered any disappointment! Be it Pakistan’s unusually poor fielding, the nail- biting reviews, Yuvraj’s comical expression, Ravi Shastri’s incessant commentary, Sachin being dropped on various occasions, Raina’s brilliant last overs to Ashish Nehra’s redemption – this match was almost a Bollywood blockbuster – with representation from Aamir Khan, Preity Zinta, Vivek Oberoi and not to forget, three quarters of the Indian parliament!
Although I have always been the superstitious kind, and my flatmates would lock me into the bathroom for the last 10 overs of every crucial match which would ensure victory for India, yesterday I finally broke through the jinx and watched the entire thing – cheered and screamed profanities as the Pakistani wickets fell!
Now all eyes on Wankhede, and I honestly wonder whether the men in blue can pull this off! All prayers in a single direction this Saturday!
One other smallish thing which happened last night was that I got a text message from a childhood friend who was Pakistani. We had grown up together climbing mountains, scrounging bins full of fresh flowers, collecting caterpillars and playing all kinds of games in Muscat. Her message congratulated me and she said ‘ Inshallah, India World Cup jeete’! That was a moment of slight contemplation and I figured that it really wasn’t a battle between the nations, as it was being made to appear, just a game of cricket.