Beyond a boundary

Overt nationalism marred the World Cup

To the genuine cricket fan, Indian or otherwise, the better team on the day won the World Cup. But in terms of fan behaviour and tournament hosting, India may have been a loser beyond the cricket pitch. One element of this failure was the fervent jingoism on display at many stadiums. Parochialism is inevitable in any sporting event in which nations compete, with the media and fans duly adding their might to home advantage. But there were two less savoury elements to the business at World Cup 2023. The first was that patriotism took on a distinct saffron hue in