Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee appealed for calm on Tuesday as police were called in to guard the homes of the national cricket team, which is facing elimination from the World Cup.
”I am dismayed at the improper manner in which cricket fans in some places have given vent to their feelings at the performance of our team in the World Cup matches so far,” Vajpayee said in a statement.
”Victory and defeat are all a part of the game. Sportsmanship lies in showing confidence in our team and cheering it to do better,” he added.
Plain-clothes policemen converged at the home of captain Sourav Ganguly in cricket-mad Calcutta after parliament called for security for the families of players currently in Harare ahead of Wednesday’s make-or-break tie with Zimbabwe.
”Beside policemen posted at Ganguly’s residence, the Rapid Action Force has also been deployed in surrounding areas for quick response in case of an emergency,” city police deputy inspector-general Narayan Ghosh said.
Police in the northern city of Allahabad also secured batsman Mohammad Kaif’s home, targeted Sunday by fans angered by India’s humiliating nine-wicket rout by defending world champions Australia the day before. Police in the southern city of Bangalore also raced to secure homes of vice captain Rahul Dravid, paceman Javagal Srinath and leg-spinner Anil Kumble.
”Two policemen have been posted at each of the residences while a patrol party has also been asked to keep an eye on the areas,” a police representative said in Bangalore, home to some of India’s most emotionally-charged fans.
Star batsman Sachin Tendulkar, in an appeal broadcast on Indian television Tuesday, also pleaded for calm among the irate fans.
In parliament in New Delhi Tuesday, Speaker Manohar Joshi demanded ”fullest protection” for the players. ”They should be given the fullest protection so that their minds are free and they do better. We wish them good luck,” Joshi said.
”Nothing should be done to put players under pressure,” added cricketer-turned-MP Kirti Azad, a member of Kapil Dev’s team that lifted the 1983 World Cup.
Newspapers on Tuesday printed acid editorials tearing to shreds the team’s performance and splashed photographs of fans torching effigies of their former darlings in protest of the team’s dismissal by Australia and its lacklustre win over minnows Netherlands last week.
Much of the invective, however, was directed at the players’ personal business dealings, an issue of ongoing concern among Indians.
Cartoonists lampooned Ganguly’s men as being more concerned with winning plum off-field corporate endorsements than matches and thousands of e-mails and mobile phone SMS messages were circulating calling for a boycott of products promoted by the men in blue. Some sponsors, sensing the public mood, said they were considering yanking television commercials featuring the cricketers, who have superstar status in this billion-strong country.
”The Indian team is not wearing the nation’s cap, they are wearing Pepsi, LG, Coke and Hero Honda caps,” said Santosh Mangaonkar, an advertising professional and ardent cricket fan from the western commercial hub of Bombay.
”They are playing only for money and nothing else.”
Ganguly’s team need a win against Zimbabwe to contend for a place in the Super Six round and the desperate situation has forced a reshuffle of the struggling batting order.
Heath Streak’s Zimbabwe are well placed to join Australia in the Super Six from Group A, leaving India, Pakistan and England to battle for the third spot. A clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan March 1 at the Centurion Supersport is being billed as the clash of Titans amid reports the tie could see $200-million in illegal wagers changing hands. – Sapa-AFP