When the game becomes a vent

Rarely, does a game of cricket represent a spectacle of current affairs. The fan cant ask more, than a stage, set ablaze when 2 neighbors enter the same arena to decide the many contentious issues (those outside cricket) in the past.  An indo-pak game is many ways a metaphor that settles unresolved issues. Cricket here transcends beyond the game and players assume superhero status. 22 players stand up for the several million people on both sides of a highly disputed border to settle scores. Even at a neutral venue the intensity is emphasized by the contrasting nature of the opposing forces.One raw and sinewy and  the other potbellied by glory and success. One hungry and deprived while the other loathed in cricketing plentiful and over-sufficiency.

Sport is meant to test the individual in more ways than physical. A contest of this nature, particularly in the case of these 2 countries, were won by individual brilliance in the past. Mental strength swayed the outcome of these games. An indo-pak game was never for the faint hearted. Almost every game, somehow, manages to become  a torture test punctuated by swinging possibilities. Our matches tend to end in a bitter ironical manner. The margin of victory is nothing but a hairline. Yet, 19 of March 2012 was not only about the end. It was the way the game started in both innings. Pakistan started in an unlike Pakistan way - calm, sedate and reassured. A team known for its flair and arrogance was not at its butchering best but was clinically disseminating an apology of an Indian bowling attack.For all the intensity of the spectacle, the performance of both sides were comic. In many ways it was a contest of inefficiencies that was visually funny. Here were 2 teams in a heated battle yet had multiple shortcomings. Clearly, the game had evolved and individual brilliance alone would prove inadequate.

When targets are mammoth, an individual alone cannot surmount it, but individuals do set up possibilities. Virat Kohli did exactly that in the most inspiring way possible. He was clearly above the mediocrity around him and stamped his authority on this long standing rivalry. Even he took the opportunity to vent the several issues around the issues surrounding everything Indian performances.

Long live king kohli.