A hostile pitch

Leading to Churchgate, D Road boasts of the Wankhede Stadium and the Mumbai Hockey Association's astroturf, two venues that enjoy rare privilege in a city that has abysmal sporting infrastructure for a metropolis with the population and economic clout of its size. The hockey venue was the first scene of disgrace, when a handful of Shiv Sainiks entered the premises and chased away four Pakistani international hockey players, who were forced to jump out of a window and skulk away through the back door to safety. Meanwhile, the protesters tried to figure out if a gentleman in the dressing room, whom they had begun to threaten, was a Pakistani or, as it turned out, the Indian national goalkeeper.

Spare one moment to think, what if this had been Sardar Singh, Sandeep Singh, S.V. Sunil and Sreejesh being forced out of Karachi?

A few days later, this same thuggish group ensured that the Pakistan women's cricket team, taking with it the Australian, New Zealand and South African teams, would end up playing its world cup group games at Cuttack — a venue change just 10 days before the world cup kicks off. No matter if Pakistan makes the knockouts or the final, for schedules can always be shuffled around and the International Cricket Council (ICC) ordered into submission, because India is doing the world a favour by hosting the biggest event on the women's calendar.

Finally, the Wankhede Stadium, which should have taken pride in hosting both the men's and the women's world cup cricket finals in a span of two years, has been hijacked by the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), driving a further six games to other grounds to accommodate the Mumbai Ranji team's attempt to win a 40th domestic final. The adoring crowds will only travel to Wankhede, not to any of the other cricket grounds in the country, to watch their beloved Sachin Tendulkar.

It's tough to tell if the ICC can demand answers of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) or if the BCCI can demand answers of the MCA on this reluctance to fulfil a responsibility that was as good as etched in stone when India bid for and was awarded the women's world cup. Imagine the groans if this had been the men's edition two years ago, and last-minute changes been introduced. Worse still, imagine the outrage if India — when memories of 26/11 were fresher — had been under pressure to forfeit their world cup semifinal rather than allow the "enemy" to step on home soil. India has brazenly tinkered with the schedule of an international meet, with no regard for commitment and no particular compunctions about honouring its word. In packing off Pakistan's sportsmen and women, it has displayed an utter lack of grace and manners.

It is tough to expect courtesy from protesters who, a few seasons ago, had worked up another frenzy when the BCCI replaced the Deodhar Trophy

(a 50-over inter-zonal knockout competition) with the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (a

Twenty20 inter-Ranji meet), opposing a perceived change-of-name when a different format was introduced.

The sudden changes in schedule and the sending back of hockey players is an indictment of the government, its sporting officials — who have shown they run both hockey and cricket as their fiefdoms — and the country's own image. The Indian Premier League's tacit spurning of Pakistani players in auctions pointed to the worst of cartel tendencies, but the manner in which the Pakistani hockey players were packed off smacks of a boorishness that is typical of the country's reactionary ways. For if it's not business-as-usual with Pakistan, why is Cuttack eager to take on the mantle? And didn't India host the Pakistan men's team just last month? Shifting Pakistan's world cup matches to Cuttack also hints at the poor security preparedness of Mumbai, an assessment that will offend the Mumbai police, for they have never shirked from providing fortresses for the smooth conduct of major sporting events.

Volunteers at the London Olympics were quick to tell all departing guests that they were gearing up (enthusiastically, not grudgingly) for the bigger Games — the Paralympics a fortnight after the Bolt and Phelps show. They didn't mean bigger in terms of TV money or record spectators or even athletic abilities, but bigger as far as a written commitment to be gracious hosts was agreed on. Mumbai, though cricket-crazy, sadly lacks similar manners.

shivani.naik@expressindia.com

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