Cricket: Before dawn, a national rivalry

“Cricket isn’t big in America, but millions of people are following this worldwide — I’ve heard over 160 million,” junior Javaria Najeeb said. “Only somebody from the subcontinent can understand how big a match this is, a semifinal with India versus Pakistan, archrivals. It’s the classic, ultimate match.”

Najeeb, a Forbes residential college adviser who hails from Karachi, Pakistan, organized a viewing event for the semifinal with help and funding from the Forbes College Office. India and Pakistan fans arose before dawn for the toss at 4:30 a.m., which determined which team would bat first.

“As you can see, nobody cares that it’s at five in the morning,“ Najeeb said, shortly before being interrupted by the fall of an Indian wicket, the rough equivalent of an out, and the ensuing cheers and yells by the Pakistani fans.

The hype surrounding the 2011 World Cup has built up slowly over the past few years to monumental proportions, with three countries in the cricket-crazy South Asian subcontinent — India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh — as co-hosts. Pakistan was also scheduled to be a host but was stripped of host status following a terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore, Pakistan in March 2009.

The pressure was on India, one of the co-hosts and one of the co-favorites, to deliver its second World Cup and first since 1983. India stumbled once in the group stage to fellow co-favorite South Africa before going on to defeat Australia, the three-time defending champion, in the quarterfinals. Pakistan, although entering the tournament surrounded with controversy following a match-fixing scandal, put together an impressive campaign during the group stages, handing Australia their first loss in a World Cup since 1999. Pakistan demolished the West Indies (a combined team of several Caribbean nations) in the quarterfinals, setting up an epic showdown against India.

The match in Mohali featured not just a matchup of archrivals, but also a matchup of two polar opposite teams.

“I like Indian batting, especially Sachin[, the legendary Indian batsman], but at the same time I’m a big fan of Pakistani bowling,” said freshman Pujan Rai, from Kathmandu, Nepal, reflecting his (rare, especially in the Blackbox) neutral view. “It’s a really great game for cricket, more than both the teams, because it’s a really big competition between two really good departments of the game.”

For Indians and Pakistanis living outside the subcontinent, especially second-generation children of immigrants, watching the match was a way to reconnect with their roots.

“It’s nice to sit with a group of people and watch a game that most people [would say about], ‘Cricket, it’s like baseball,’ ” sophomore Nikhil Chervu said. “I wouldn’t wake up at four in the morning to see it if I was at home. It’s nice when you have like 30 people here. It’s nice to be in a community where everybody’s excited.”

For senior Gavin Byrnes, a neutral observer without ties to India or Pakistan, watching the match was a new experience. Byrnes is also a sports columnist for The Daily Princetonian.

“At first I was only interested in cricket for the silly vernacular, but as I watch it more I’ve really started to appreciate the excitement of it. The Indian and Pakistani fans in the Forbes Blackbox were extremely welcoming and eager to explain the strategy to me, and the passion of the fans was really fun to be around. I’ll definitely be watching the final on Saturday.”

Freshman Farhan Abrol, from Delhi, India, just wished he could be at home to take in the crazed atmosphere on the subcontinent.

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“It sucks, because if I had been [home] I would have been at the game,” Abrol said. “But it’s almost as much fun here, with both teams’ [supporters] here. It’s a good vibe. As long as you’re passionate about it, it doesn’t matter where you are. You can enjoy it here, there, everywhere.”

Abrol is also a staff writer for The Daily Princetonian.

Abrol and his fellow India fans certainly did enjoy themselves. Although Pakistan proved fierce during their bowling, with Wahab Riaz, Pakistani bowler, taking five wickets, the Indians' bowling attack defended the total number of runs that their batsmen posted and won by 29 runs. India will face Sri Lanka in the final of the World Cup on Saturday at 5 a.m. EDT from Mumbai, India.

To Americans who still have not started watching cricket, Abrol had one thing to say.

“Get on it, because it’s good, honestly. [Americans] think it’s boring; they think it lasts a day. Matches don’t last a day, they’re really interesting, and if you give it a shot, I’m sure you’ll love it.”