India’s refusal to engage in the customary post-match handshake with Pakistan has stirred controversy at the Asia Cup, highlighting how political tensions continue to spill onto the cricket field. With another high-stakes showdown set for September 21, all eyes will be on whether sportsmanship or rivalry defines the next encounter.
India shook up the Asia Cup by not allowing its players to have a customary handshake after the game against Pakistan. Luckily, the game was played as there were speculations that the Indian team would turn up but would forfeit the match.
Verily, the spirit of the game was damaged. Handshakes are not in the rules. It is a moral duty of the players to do that after a match. To show courtesy, to show it was played in good spirits.
Although the crowd was warned of expulsion from the ground and a heavy fine in case they shouted any political slogans or indulged in any scuffle with each other, the match went peacefully.
But at the toss, the Indian captain did not shake hands with his Pakistan counterpart. In fact, the match referee, Andy Pycroft of Zimbabwe, became a party when he conveyed to Agha that there would be no handshake.
After the match, the bitter part came when the Indian batters ran towards their change room and shut the door. When the Pakistan players and management went there, they did not respond.
It all showed how bitter India has become after a defeat in May’s war.
The self-acclaimed super-power India was humiliated in a military conflict just four months ago. Their destruction and defeat were widely trumpeted by the world’s most powerful man, Donald John Trump. President Trump invariably proclaimed that five Indian aircrafts were destroyed by Pakistan.
It was a conflict India itself started and was then humbled. India did not provide any evidence of the Pahalgam attacks. They just, like every time in the past, hurled baseless allegations against Pakistan.
Despite Pakistan offering an independent inquiry, New Delhi did not comply. It was a shock to them to see how a military so poorly equipped. They will now think twice before doing any mischief against Pakistan.
Months after the Pahalgam incidents, or we may call FALSE FLAG OPERATION, India announced they had killed four terrorists who were involved in the massacre. The world knows about it. Instead of catching them alive, they in fact killed the evidence.
But this is India, we all know!
India then kept the Asian Cricket Council in limbo over their participation in the Asia Cup. There were calls to boycott the event. The poison against Pakistan was injected into the Indian public. Even the most balanced voices, like Sunil Gavaskar, spoke against playing Pakistan.
“It could well happen that India decides to pull out of the Asia Cup,” Gavaskar retorted. “We can say, look, we’re going to have a 4-nation tournament or a 5-nation tournament in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and it could be, it could well be that if the tournament is held in Bangladesh, the tournament is held in Sri Lanka, minus Pakistan.” All the political leaders – pro and anti-BJP – had a field day.
But India had to relent. They saw a broader picture. Because India wanted to host the 2036 Olympics, they had to show that they play with all IOC (International Olympic Committee) member countries, including Pakistan.
They were forced to do that. It was the IOC that took notice of India not giving visas to Pakistan shooters for an Olympic qualifying event in 2019. It was against the IOC charter. The IOC stripped the event of its qualifying status. This punishment gave a lesson to India: to accommodate Pakistan unwillingly.
Despite the boycott calls, India announced they will send their team for the Asia Cup. The decision was forced on them, as in the case of boycotting their campaign for the Olympics would have gone derailed.
The scenes will repeat when the two teams meet in a Super Four game on September 21. The only answer the Pakistan team can give is to beat India on the ground, like they overwhelmed them in the air on May 10!
And then Agha should go to the post-match ceremony and say, “I dedicate this win to our armed forces who beat India 6-0!”
That would be an apt answer and a CHILLING one!
