The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has responded to the comments Pakistan’s cricket team director Mickey Arthur who, during the post-match press conference, expressed his disappointment at not hearing the iconic Pakistani anthem “Dil Dil Pakistan” during the high voltage Pakistan-India World Cup encounter at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
During the match, India displayed their dominance over Pakistan, securing a convincing seven-wicket victory. The match, witnessed by a roaring crowd of 130,000 spectators, has showcased India’s prowess as they outclassed Pakistan in all facets of the game, maintaining their unbeaten streak against their arch-rivals in the ICC Men’s World Cup, now standing at 8-0.
The victory, however, was not without controversy. Pakistan’s cricket team director, Mickey Arthur, sparked a debate during the post-match press conference when he expressed his disappointment at not hearing the iconic Pakistani anthem “Dil Dil Pakistan” during the match. Arthur referred to the atmosphere as more akin to a bilateral series, even going as far as calling it a “BCCI event.”
In response to Arthur’s comments, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) clarified that the song was not played due to the absence of Pakistani fans in the stadium. A BCCI official, when questioned by the Indian media, stated, “You play all these [Pakistani songs] when there are fans in the stadium […] there was not a single Pakistani fan there [in the stadium].”
The BCCI official’s remarks shed light on the absence of Pakistani supporters, creating an unusual one-sided atmosphere in the stadium.
Arthur’s complaints about the lack of Pakistani fan presence were met with scrutiny by the Indian media, who took exception to his characterization of the match as a “BCCI event.”
Amidst the controversy, Arthur’s comments about “Dil Dil Pakistan” raised questions about the appropriate moments to play such anthems during a match.
The BCCI official pondered, “[But] when should we have played it [the song]? Should we have played it when Babar and Rizwan got bowled or when Rohit Sharma hit Shaheen Afridi for a six?”
Despite Arthur’s desire to elaborate further on the matter, he refrained, likely due to concerns about potential penalties.
His sentiments were echoed by Pakistan’s head coach, Grant Bradburn, who expressed sadness over the absence of Green Shirts’ supporters at the stadium. Bradburn emphasized the mutual respect between Indian and Pakistani cricket fans and highlighted the unusual nature of the match without the vibrant Pakistani supporters.
On the field, India’s victory was marked by Skipper Rohit Sharma’s stellar performance, scoring 86 runs, and an inspired bowling display that restricted Pakistan to 191 runs. India comfortably chased down the target with 117 balls to spare, underlining their dominance in the game.
