No cricket till Pakistan acts on terror: Shashi Tharoor

“The first ball I faced in my Test career came from Wasim Akram. I had seen a lot of him on the TV so I knew what was expected. A bouncer first up shook me a bit. But I was confident that a yorker was around. In fact I had to duck next two balls too. The fourth one was the final ball of the over and I knew this was going to be a yorker but that was a bouncer too. I was bewildered. Then, he (Akram) came up to me and said, ‘Welcome to Test cricket’. I was nervous. That was Test cricket.”

This anecdotal reference by Sachin Tendulkar managed an ear-to-ear grin among many present in the crowd during the launch of Shadows across the playing field — 60 years of India-Pakistan cricket, a book co-authored by Shashi Tharoor and Shaharyar Khan.

While it will be interesting to read the perspectives of the two most sought-after diplomats from each side of the border, Tharoor made it clear that the ties between the two countries won’t resume until Pakistan acts tough on terrorism. “If Pakistan gives what we want, i.e. to dismantle the infrastructure that breeds terrorism, that will solve half of our problems,” the Union Minister says.

Tharoor recalled a conversation with MS Gill where the sports minister insisted on ‘not sending a team to the country that sent terrorists here.’ “A lot has changed since 2004 and unless the situation improves, there can be no cricket,” he adds.

It was fitting that the ceremony was held at the Taj, a place which in Tharoor’s words ‘epitomes the reason why the two countries are not playing cricket at present.’
Tharoor did not forget to mention the politicization of cricket by the two countries. “It is sad that cricket is suffering because of the political tension between the two countries. Most of us have forgotten to appreciate good cricket that is played while remembering only the defeats. Cricket has been seen through political lenses in India as well as Pakistan. It is a fact that can’t escape until the tensions reduce.”

He then went on: “Cricket is more of a bridge and less of a pawn. When there’s tension between the two countries, it acts like a bridge but it’s a pawn when used for political purposes.”

While Shaharyar could not make it to the glittering launch ceremony hosted by Mukesh Ambani, Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh and Lalit Modi were among the many guests present.

Tendulkar pointed out the extreme reaction associated with India-Pakistan matches. “Reactions are always extreme. On our return after the 1997 series in Toronto where we beat them 4-1 the reception in Delhi was incredible. However, a week later we went to Pakistan and lost the series 1-2 and we were treated as criminals,” he recalled. “Some of our guys also had to pay for excess baggage on their return,” he joked.