More than 250 Indian and Pakistani students crammed into the International Cultural Center at 2 a.m. last Saturday, transforming the building into a bustling community of foreign languages come together for a single cause.
The crowd spilled over into two adjoining rooms as international students, faculty and friends stood shoulder-to-shoulder for a standing-room-only view of the biggest game of the year.
It was not the Super Bowl, not the World Series, not even soccer’s World Cup. These students were gathered for the International Cricket Championship.
Known in the 1920s as the “gentleman’s sport,” cricket is an older form of baseball, said David Simmons, an ICC student worker from Great Britain.
The most obvious difference from baseball is that cricket games last eight hours, shortened from the traditional five-day matches for tournament play. The teams average 250 runs per game.
Saturday’s game pitted India against Pakistan in a rivalry that only has increased in intensity as a result of the political tension between the two countries.
As a result of the political tension, the two teams have not played each other since June 2000, said Anirban Mukherjee, Indian Student Association president, and Vishnu Dudda, ISA treasurer.
By 10 a.m., the outnumbered Pakistani students admitted defeat, and the Indian students waved flags in celebration of their victory. In the history of the cricket championships, Pakistan has never defeated India.
“It’s an electrifying atmosphere,” Mukherjee shouted Saturday over the chanting Indian students.
“India is going to win!” they erupted without warning.
Nial Patel, ISA vice president, said the Indian students do not care about winning the championship as long as they beat Pakistan.
Mukherjee said it was “the national sentiment” that winning against Pakistan is better than winning the championship.
That feeling is mutual, said Adnan Khan, a Pakistani general studies senior.
“If we win the championship but lose to India, it will not feel complete,” Khan said.
Khan said the rivalry between the students on campus is tense, but friendly.
Suresh Murugan, an electrical engineering graduate student from India, and his friend Muhammad Leghari, an ISDS junior from Pakistan, said they and their friends play cricket together on the Parade Ground.
Although he is from India, Murugan plays for the Pakistani team because they are one player short.
“That’s the beauty of sports,” Khan said.
The emotion that accompanies cricket can only be compared to American football, Mukherjee said.
All the mosques in India had special prayers for the cricket team the morning of the game, he said. Bombay, India, which has a larger population than New York City, shuts down the entire day.
Everyone in India watches the game, Mukherjee said.
The combined population of India and Pakistan makes the game the most watched game in the world, far surpassing the Super Bowl.
“It’s not a sport in India,” said Karthik Chepudira, a graduate student in computer science. “It’s a religion.”
The cricket games were shown at LSU with support from Student Government.
Hina Dave, International Affairs director, said the Dish Network began charging $3,000 to broadcast all the games being played in South Africa. The fee was only $300 in past years.
The students usually pay the fees through their student organizations, but they could not afford the increase this year, Dave said.
“We are very grateful to SG for helping us out with the finances,” Mukherjee said.
LSU is the only school showing the games free of charge, Mukherjee said.
Dave said SG is planning a pre-game party for the championship game on Sunday, March 23.