When sport clean-bowls politics

by Rex Clementine  

With Chennai Super Kings storming into this year’s IPL final, two Sri Lankans have become the toast of the south Indian city of Madras as Matheesha Pathirana and Maheesh Theekshana claimed two wickets apiece against Gujarat Titans.

Time was when Sri Lankans were personae non grata in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Not anymore. From Madras to Madurai, everyone is now cheering the two Sri Lankan boys. Sport has delivered a telling blow to divisive politics!

In 2013, after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha Jayaram protested to the central government against Sri Lankan players’ participation in IPL matches held in Madras, the Board of Control for Cricket in India was forced to withdraw Sri Lankans from Madras games.

Accordingly, the then nine franchises were told not to play any Sri Lankan in Madras. Stars like Muttiah Muralitharan, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, T.M. Dilshan, Angelo Mathews, Lasith Malinga and Ajantha Mendis and several others had to pull out from Madras games.

Sadly, the ban applied not only to players but also to the Sri Lankan match officials.

Sri Lanka played their first Test match on Indian soil in cricket-crazy Madras in 1982, the famous game, where Duleep Mendis scored twin hundreds.

Thereafter, every time Sri Lanka visited India, a game in Madras was a must. There were many memorable games over the years in Madras, but after 2005, Sri Lanka have not played a single game there.

However, a 20-year-old rookie, Matheesha, has changed it all and the fans of southern Indian state have embraced him like one of their own.

Maheesh Theekshana too has come up with several match winning performances and the fact that he has an army background has been forgotten.

These indeed are welcome signs. This means that there are chances of the Sri Lanka team returning to M. A. Chidambaram Stadium also known as Chepauk after 18 long years later this year when India hosts the World Cup.

Chepauk is an iconic cricket ground having hosted Test match cricket for 90 years and was the venue for the tied Test of 1986 between India and Australia.