The Dubai one dayer between India and Pakistan, didn’t live up to the drama, that has been unfolding over the last week. After India won a one sided match, the Indian captain and coach refused the customary hand shake with their Pakistan counterparts and made a speech dedicating the win to the pahalgam victims and expressing solidarity with the armed forces for operation Sindoor.
Social media has been flooded with comments against the decision to play against Pakistan and the jingoistic government supporters, were in a predicament. Ever since the government abruptly declared a ceasefire to Operation Sindoor, it has been spinning explanations. The country is not convinced though. President Trump has not made it any easier.
The government has since suspended all bilateral contacts including trade and cultural exchanges. All visas, including those of spouses and children have been revoked, films banned for having Pakistani artists and sports dropped.
In such scenario, we suddenly have the government allowing a cricket match in Dubai. The entire opposition protested against it. Looked like sides had been switched. Cricket is big money, and cricket is Jay Shah’s business. The government faced conflicting loyalties and finally business won.
There were melodramatic moments, with pahalgam and operation sindoor victims coming on screen and criticizing the move. The government took the indefensible plea of international commitment, in a sport where it is the hegemon and bully.
The worst though was the use of the players. The government should have decided about being sporting or not. Cricket is not war, neither it’s diplomacy. What would the spectacle be, if the team lost the match. Would we be dedicating our defeat.
Such brazen politicization of the team, just proves us losers. The prime minister had tried similar optics for the World Cup finals, where the team’s loss proved a dampener. The prime minister’s image should not become the object of every endeavor in the country.
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