Cool it India! Cool it Pakistan!

COLOMBO: One Indian journalist wrote to me sarcastically saying: “We Indians are still celebrating our victory over Bermuda”

Another Indian TV journalist said “Now, we can concentrate on real news than cricket”. They all expressed outrage and anger.

Indian people and the media did not stop at that. They described their team as culprits and morons after India failed to secure a place among the Super Eight.

According to many Indian fans, the Indian team dashed hopes of a billion people. When questioned why they were attacking the team so much, a journalist friend said “ Why not? When they play well we treat them like demi-gods”.

However, the Indian media too must take the blame for it. Developing and building so much expectations out of 11 human beings selected from a billion of people. They call them Men in blue, Team India.

There were so many advertisements wishing them. Indian TV stations recruited top ex world cricketers like Sir Richard Hadlee to comment. I am sure they paid a big price for all those commentators.

Everything else in the world became second for Indian TV channels and newspapers. It was cricket, cricket and more cricket. I could see they were competing heavily among each other to get all the attention and of course the ratings.

So, why blame the team when they failed and when the team couldn’t perform to their expectations?

We in Sri Lanka are sorry not only about India’s exit but of Pakistan’s exit. The World Cup competition would have been richer if India and Pakistan stayed on. In the same way, we are happy for another neighbour of ours - Bangladesh.

India is our friend. Pakistan is our friend. We remember with gratitude how India and Pakistan stood by us in 1996 when Australia and West Indies refused to play their matches in Sri Lanka.

The joint Indo- Pakistan cricket team which played a solidarity match with the Sri Lankans showed the world how caring our neighbours were.

That solidarity and support brought tears to many Sri Lankans and we went on to win the World Cup beating Australia.

Cool down our Indian Friends, calm down our Pakistani Friends. Now little Sri Lanka plays for you in the Carribean. After all it is South-Asian solidarity. Its SAARC time!

Bandula JAYASEKARA