THE mini-series between India and Pakistan which ended in Delhi on Sunday was more than a cricketing contest between the two arch rivals. It was a Test between the Shiv Sena's communal petulance and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's political sagacity and pragmatism. That the latter prevailed over the former should be a matter of deep satisfaction for people of goodwill, on both sides of the border, who, we are sure, are not in such a hopeless minority as those on the lunatic fringe of subcontinental politics would have us believe. It does not matter who won and who lost. In fact, neither side did as the series was drawn 1-1. But cricket triumphed and in the end that is what mattered. There were fears even before the tour - Pakistan's first to India in 12 years - that both governments might give in to Mr Bal Thackeray's strident jingoism. It goes to the everlasting credit of the two governments that they remained unswayed by the threat. In appointing Mr Shaharyar Khan, one of this country's most seasoned and urbane diplomats, as team manager, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif proved that he was determined to let the tour begin on schedule. There were critics here at home who had doubted the advisability of going ahead with the tour. Their argument ran somewhat like this: if the tour were to be called off, it would take another 12 years for cricketing ties to be resumed between the two countries and if it were undertaken and something untoward happened, its ramifications would go beyond the playing fields of Chennai and Delhi. Rowdy as the crowds were at Delhi, it would be more than unjust to forget the sportsmanship of the vast and infinitely more disciplined spectators in Chennai. As the Pakistani coach Javed Miandad said, crowd hostility will gradually decrease with more frequent exchange of visits between the two countries.
As for the cricket itself, no more interesting matches have been played between India and Pakistan than the ones witnessed this season. In Chennai, we saw some wonderful batting by Shahid Afridi and master batsman Sachin Tendulkar. In Delhi, Anil Kumble, the good natured leg-spinner, became the first bowler after Jim Laker of England to take all ten wickets in a Test innings on a dusty track at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground. There were some questionable umpiring decisions which went in his favour, but they do not detract from his historic performance. He does not turn the ball too much; his main virtue lies in his
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