Cricket does not queer communal pitch

HALOL: Local cricket matches leading to communal tension is common in Gujarat. But for the past week, Hindus and Muslims have been playing cricket matches in the little town of Halol in the Panchmahals without even a skirmish.
Not even an accident that led to some tension between the two communities in the town last week could affect their spirit. Many are hoping that the Jagrut Cup at Badshahbaba’s Ground will help heal some wounds of the Godhra carnage and the subsequent riots.
According to the organisers, the Jan Jagruti Public Charitable Trust, and local crowd, the bonhomie would not have been possible had it not been for cricket.A month or two ago, people here used to turn their heads away when they saw a person from another people are exulting and cheering every boundary and wicket together.
“We made it mandatory for the teams to have at least five players from each community. If there were six Muslims in the team, it was compulsory to have five Hindus and vice versa,� says Trust vice-chairman Razzak Limbadiya.
“If the captain was a Hindu, the vice-captain had to be a Muslim. This made the two communities work together.�
Former India captain Kapil Dev and former world billiards champion Geet Sethi turned up at the finals on Sunday to show their solidarity.
The atmosphere for the final match between Kali XI and Sheikh XI was electric.A large crowd from the town and the surrounding villages preferred this match to the final league match between India and Australia in the VB Series.
Last year, it would have been unthinkable like Sheikh XI, Kali XI, Lagaan XI, Friends XI and Khan XI could actually play cricket together and not end up fighting. But now they do. In the end, Kali XI beat Sheikh XI to take the cup.
Local resident Yusuf Ismail says, “There was a breakdown in communication between the two we were never presented a platform to come together. And then, we got cricket as an ideal platform. The response is for you to see.� Sunil Patel, another resident, adds, “Members of both communities were living in fear since the riots. All praises to the Jan Jagruti trust for bringing us together.�
Talking to TNN, Kapil Dev said, “Riots should never happen. Each individual should hold the baton of peace to ensure such a tragedy never happens. Sports has the capacity to remove hatred as it develops sportsmanship.�
Geet Sethi said, “When I came here last year, you could still feel the tension between the two communities. But this year, it seems to be perfectly normal and it can be judged by the response of the people. Sports always proves to be an ideal platform for people to forget differences and unite.�