Pakistan, and Pakistani supporters must stop feeding those atrocious reality shows that masquerade as WC analysis. The likes of Basit Ali and Tanvir are toxic for the psyche of the nation and even the supporters. I feel for the Pak team after such a defeat. I used to feel horrible watching manufactured anger on shows like 'Match ke Mujrim' in Indian News channels during the Ganguly era. These news channels are leeches, have no genuine cricketing insights and make the watching public unsportsmanlike. Also, those shows where both Indian and Pakistani news channels do a 'jugalbandi' is cringeworthy. Trust me, you get rid of those leeches and focus on long term structuring of the sport in Pakistan, there is enough talent there to start winning again. There is enough market, talent and public will there. Pakistani cricketers must stop looking at these India-Pak games through 90s-tinted glasses. Basit Ali saying they thrashed India in the 90s has no relevance now. We used to get thrashed in that phase, its Pakistan now. The cycle will change again. This kind of over-reaction, going after players' and their family is idiotic. Indian fans are no better. Lot of the new age Indian supporters who only watch cricket played by India during the WC are just pseudo-nationalistic fans and they use it as a vehicle of jingoism and not for the love of the game. I felt bad to see the kind of symbolism by Indian fans, both in the ground and online talking of cricket on lines of militaristic and religious lines. That made me feel like the genuine cricket fan is drowned out in all this. For that reason alone, this rivalry between India and Pakistan must die down, at least till it becomes a genuine cricketing contest again. The only people benefiting from this right now are the hate mongers on both sides, and I do not want a sport that I love for its pure joys to be hijacked by these morons. At the start of the WC, I did say that I do not feel emotionally attached to this WC. This is one huge reason. When we win or lose, what I, as a cricket lover want is to discuss the intricacies of the sport and the big moments on the field. What I`m seeing now is politicization and nationalistic symbolism among fans. No room on the internet to talk about the sport. I indulged in some really fun banter with Pakistani and Indian fans online yesterday and got trolled by people for that, was called all sorts of names by my friends even! We might be winning more but this game has lost its innocence for me. Harsha Bhogle spoke about this the other day as well about people using the sport to further other jingoistic passions of theirs. He got a fair bit of trolling as well. Makes you wonder whether the rivalry is doing us any good.
