NEW DELHI — India rejoiced on Wednesday after defeating Pakistan in the World Cup of cricket, a sporting event charged with geopolitics. The prime ministers of the nuclear-armed neighbors had sought to improve relations by sitting together in the grandstands.
For India and Pakistan, both cricket obsessed, the semifinal match was an epic showdown. A gigantic audience watched the match on television in both countries. Much of India, a nation of 1.2 billion people, essentially shut down for the day as people suspended their daily affairs to watch the bitter rivals play.
By late Wednesday, after India’s victory was secure, people began lighting fireworks and celebrating across the nation.
In Pakistan, by contrast, a sense of despair and disappointment swept through cricket fans. Excitement had run so high that even inmates at prisons were permitted to watch the game, news media there reported.
While Pakistan remained calm, and there was no outbreak of rioting — unlike in past matches — angry protesters did gather outside the house of the Pakistani captain, Shahid Afridi, and chant slogans against him in the southern port city of Karachi, according to Karachi news reports.
The politics of the match were as important as the outcome. Days earlier, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India issued a surprise invitation to his counterpart, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani of Pakistan, to join him for the match. The overture came as the countries were trying to restart diplomatic discussions and prompted speculation about what the leaders might discuss and whether a breakthrough in relations was possible.
Still, the rivalry-driven emotions of each country were reflected in the televised images of each leader as it became clear toward the end of the match that India had won. Mr. Singh was clapping, while Mr. Gilani sat grim and silent. India will play Sri Lanka in the final match in Mumbai on Saturday.
No comments:
Post a Comment