by the Editor: Siddharth Sehgal

Sportsmanship does not apply only to sportsmen but also to the audience who enjoy the game.  The loss of the Indian Cricket team in last week’s match against Pakistan brought forth some really ugly side of some Indian cricket fans where the loss was blamed on Indian pacer Mohammed Shami. The reason was more so because Shami is a Muslim and not because he conceded runs and was unable to take a wicket. Such bigotry is not only condemnable but also not good for both sports and society.

Winning or Losing is part of the game, you win some and you lose some and last Sunday’s match was no different. There were a lot of factors in the Indian team’s defeat, the poor performance of the top batting order except captain Kohli’s brave knock, poor team selection, and lack of intent and effort in bowling. No Indian bowler was able to take a wicket, so why only target Shami? Moreover, if losing a match or not performing well against Pakistan makes Shami a traitor then what about the matches where he performed exceptionally well. Fools are those who try to link a victory or loss to a player’s religion.

A minister in Pakistan boasted on television that victory in a cricket match is the victory of Islam, but while equating a game to a faith he forgot that there were instances in the past where India defeated Pakistan in crucial matches. Would he pile those defeats too on his faith? The problem with bigotry is that it eclipses common sense. The problem with such prejudice is that it deepens the already existing rift among various religious communities in our societies.

The truth is that India and Pakistan will play each other again in the future and one or the other side will prevail over the other and this cycle of sports will continue but hate should not triumph over sports. Even in the most emotionally charged games, players can shake hands after the match. We should learn to do the same.