NEW DELHI, 4 March 2003 — Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee yesterday hailed India’s victory over rival Pakistan and hoped Saurav Ganguly’s team would return from South Africa clutching the World Cup.
The prime minister’s message to skipper Ganguly came a day after Indian Finance Minister Jaswant Singh exempted taxes on all winnings of the team which after beating Pakistan have reached the Super Six.
“It was an excellent display of team spirit and togetherness by all members of the Indian cricket team,” Vajpayee said in a letter to Ganguly, two days after India won the match which many saw as a matter of national pride.
“I am sure that the team will continue to play with the same spirit in the World Cup tournament and win laurels for the country,” Vajpayee added.
Master-blaster Sachin Tendulkar helped steer India to Saturday’s victory in the high-voltage clash against Pakistan at Centurion.
Among the millions of cricket enthusiasts, the identity of two caught even the players by surprise.
India’s Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani and army chief General Nirmal Vij were the first to call Ganguly’s team.
Advani spoke to team manager Jyoti Bajpai on the phone from New Delhi and later made separate calls to Ganguly and Man of the Match Sachin Tendulkar who hit 98 off 75 balls to lead India’s charge for victory.
General Vij asked Bajpai to convey his congratulations to the entire 15-man squad, a team official said.
“The boys were mighty proud when they were told that the deputy prime minister and army chief had called,” the official said.
“Both congratulated the team and then asked them to keep up the good work.”
Meanwhile, more than 20 people have been injured in continuing violence between Hindus and Muslims in three Indian states following India’s victory over Pakistan in their World Cup cricket match, according to news reports yesterday.
Hindus and Muslims came to blows in the western state of Gujarat, the southern state of Karnataka and the northern state of Punjab, several newspapers reported.
In the southern city of Bangalore, more than 10 people were injured and several vehicles burnt in sporadic violence that started Saturday and went on until late Sunday evening, the Indian Express newspaper reported.
Violence was also reported from the Ferozepur area of Punjab, which lies on the border between India and Pakistan.
The Pakistanis allegedly threw stones at the celebrating Indians across the border, who immediately retaliated, the report said. Several people suffered head injuries.
In communally-sensitive Gujarat state, violence erupted in Baroda city after Hindus allegedly refused to allow Muslims to celebrate the Indian team’s victory, the Asian Age reported. Zuber Ismail Sheikh, an 18-year-old killed Saturday in police firing in Ahmedabad city, was a diehard fan of Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar, the Asian Age reported. Police were compelled to fire at the unruly mobs in Ahmedabad.
