he indecency displayed by the Pakistani hockey players after they
beat arch-rivals India in the semi-final of Champions Trophy in
Bhubaneswar last Saturday has created a storm in the sporting world and
the media. [Pakistan beat India in Champions Trophy, celebrate with
obscene gestures]
The incident turned more ugly since it involved the sentiments of two
fierce competitors but is it always right to blame the players for their
deeds which are caught more easily by the camera's glare?
Former editor of The Hindu Siddharth Varadrajan was criticised when
he said in a tweet that more than the Pakistani players, it was the
unruly Indian crowd which was responsible for provoking them first and
led to the retaliation from the visitors.
But bashing Varadrajan doesn't change the character of India's sports
spectators.
Even a sloth Inzamamul-Haq couldn't control his temper in Toronto
In September 1997, former Pakistani cricket captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, who
is otherwise a cool-headed person, charged at a spectator in the stands
with a bat in his hand, not meant for soring runs for sure. Inzamam
would have surely broken the head of the man, who was armed with a
megaphone and was hurling abuses at players including the Pakistani
batsman, if other spectators and security staff members did not
intervene on time.
In 1996, unruly spectators ruined WC semifinal match; in 1999, India
& Pakistan played before empty stands
Targetting players from the stands is not something new in India. We saw
how the semifinal of the 1996 World Cup cricket at the Eden Gardens in
Kolkata ended on an ugly note as spectators turned violent after India
were left in a hapless state against Sri Lanka.
Players in the middle are held more responsible because the camera
follows them
The same venue had seen India and Pakistan playing out the final day of a
test match in 1999 in front of empty stands after the police drove out
spectators who turned angry following a controversial run-out of Sachin
Tendulkar.
There are several such instances where foreign players have been
targetted, abused and even hit from the stands by over-nationalist
spectators but since the camera focuses more on the players in the
Centre, it is their reaction that takes the precedence often. One
suspects the same had happened with the Pakistani team as well.
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