Who needs diplomacy when there's cricket!

So much craziness happening in the world right now. I generally refrain from commenting on big happenings such as Egypt, Libya, Japan like incidents because there is just too much being said already. You can't possibly do justice to such occurrences without being at "Ground Zero", if you will.
However, being in New Delhi and witnessing the madness surrounding the India-Pakistan World Cup Semi Final cricket match is an experience, to say the least. The 'sophisticated' cricket fans try to be politically correct and state that this is after all just a game and that someone has to lose, no matter what. But scratch a little bit beneath the surface and it becomes ample clear that this is SO much bigger than just a game. It is a build up of every political, cultural, social disagreement, event, misunderstanding between the two conflicting countries and this match actually signifies who is the weak one to succumb to pressure.
I am not a cricket lover. I have actually always found the game quiet long, drawn out and boring. But I have totally fallen prey to the hype of this upcoming match and it's really amazing to see myself get dragged in to the 'mob mentality'. People have dropped their important meetings, plans, deadlines just so they could witness this happening live. This is so extreme that the local vegetable seller who comes to our house on his little cycle cart has called off work too! That's when I knew it was serious.
Perhaps we should not downplay the importance of this game. It is indeed wise to acknowledge that this is just a sport and that it can't possibly do justice to decades of conflict between two countries. But this claim is also incorrect. Cricket is the only mainstream sport in India. Let's get real. Yes, there are hundreds of great athletes who indulge in other sports, but as a mass population cricket is the true winner in getting audiences together. So is the case in Pakistan. They are actually much more attached to the game, according to a recent documentary I saw about the country. A non-terrorist civilian (which accounts for 95% of Pakistan, believe it or not!) has not much going for him and he has no voice in government or social issues. His only motive is to survive and take care of his family. For this class of people, which accounts for a huge chunk of the Pakistani population, cricket is most likely their only activity for leisure. Watching, that is. So Pakistan's performance in the sport has high expectations and is the driving force for a lot of people to turn their television sets on.
Because of past unresolved issues between India and Pakistan that are so in our face now, direct confrontation is a no-bogus competition. Maybe they will never get issues such as Kashmir or Taj bombings or terrorist funding or money laundering resolved in a diplomatic manner, but this cricket match will surely determine who is leading, for now.
Go India!