Whenever there is a crisis in the country that has the potential to kindle a mass upsurge against the ruling classes, the latter either escapes the ignominy by using communal riots, terrorist attacks, etc. or by invoking the “national pride” of middle-class Indians, cricket. Similarly, at the height of the farmers' movement demanding higher prices for crops, loan waivers and the working class' nationwide movement for better wages and restriction on corporate loot under the patronage of the neo-liberal economic reign, cricket is the weapon of the ruling clique to distract mass attention from the burning problems in the country.
As India and Pakistan meets to play their second match, i.e. the finals of the Champion's Trophy at Kennington Oval, London on 8 June 2017, there will be an utmost craze and corporate-controlled Hindutva media's attempt to intensify its vitriol against Muslims by hyping the cricket match as a war between a chaste India and a vulgar Pakistan and help the corporate-controlled Modi government to take away the public attention from itself, since it got quagmire in deep crisis following the outbreak of farmers' agitation in Madhya Pradesh.
The Champion's Trophy in England is destined for India, as it's a large marketplace that gives the corporates that sponsor the game and owns the players, a great opportunity to exploit immense super profit from. The markets of Pakistan or Bangladesh aren't ripe and the investment situation in these two countries are quite less promising than what is in India.
Hence, the big corporate houses love to keep the cricket craze alive in India by providing the team, which isn't an excellent team in terms of cricket playing, easy victories against competitors during all type of trophy matches. The pre-planned mechanism of the corporate houses can be seen in Bangladesh losing to India in the semi-finals of the Champion's Trophy and India set to play against Pakistan in the finals, which will be a huge TRP booster for the broadcasters as well as the companies that will sponsor its live cast.
When suddenly the popular demand for an India-Pakistan final cricket match, which is considered as a crusade of Hindus against Muslims in India and vice versa in Pakistan, increased following India's win against Pakistan and the hype of jingoistic fervour in the country by the sycophants of Narendra Modi, the corporate houses decided in favour of it and then only could the Indian team and the Pakistani team got a clear pass to the final match.
Who will win the final match of Champion's Trophy on 18 June 2017? The baits are high and the gambling cartels in India are making huge money, as most baits are for India as the voltage of chauvinism increases slowly. The pseudo-war, or as cricket is perceived in the nation ruled by the Hindutva bigot Narendra Modi, between India and Pakistan will surely keep millions of eyeballs stick to their TV sets, which will ensure a lot of advertisement and branding consumption by those very people who never knew that they are, but pawns in the big game plan that runs the world.
India will certainly win against Pakistan in the finals of the Champion's Trophy, not because it's my patriotic duty to say so, but unless India wins against Pakistan the big corporations cannot keep a pro-cricket positive environment awakened in the country and probably, in the scenario of India losing to Pakistan in its 22 yards' crusade, people will start taking interest once again in the farmers' movement that is rocking the strongholds of the BJP and the entire Hindutva camp.
Cricket may be a temporary breather for the corporate houses in their bid to save themselves from utmost disgrace due to the continuous brewing of class hatred among the poor and downtrodden people of India, who are eager to hit the streets to show their strength to the Narendra Modi-led government, which is a puppet regime of the corporate-feudal nexus that strives to ensure a resistance-free reign of plunder for its foreign and domestic masters. But in the long run the “gentleman's game” will not be able to provide any sort of relief to the crisis-ridden foreign monopoly capital and its domestic comprador and feudal collaborators. The people are the destiny makers and for sure they will not get bogged-down by the hoodwinks of the big corporations and its puppet government, but carry forward their movement against the loot and plunder they are subjected to by the government led by Narendra Modi and his followers.
By helping India manipulate and win the Champion's Trophy tomorrow evening, the big corporations won't be able to generate the positive vibes that they expect, because at the end of the road, the hungry and poverty-stricken farmers, semi-pauperised and starving workers are not going to feel contended after silly cricket victories powered by backdoor deals and negotiations. The farmers want a better price for their crops, loan waiver and the workers want better wages and an independent life, which the present regime and the system cannot provide them. Thus, the movements will continue irrespective of India's marvellous win in the match.
