Rivalries showcase best in sport, not churlishness

RIVALRIES ARE THE lifeblood of sport, yet the biggest talking points over the last few weeks centred around a contest that, the Indian T20I captain believes, ceased to be one a long time ago.

- Tushar Bhaduri

India’s near-complete dominance over Pakistan in both white-ball formats over the past decade or more - the neigh-bours last played a Test match against each other 18 years ago — has ensured that the excitement over an upcoming game is less about the sporting strengths and weaknesses of the two outfits than about geopolitical tensions, political overtones, celebratory gestures, and issues that go far beyond the field of play.

Hence, it was somehow fitting that even after India defeated Pakistan on the third successive Sunday to win the Asia Cup, they had no silverware to show for it. Mohsin Naqvi, the Asian Cricket Council chief who is also the interior minister of Pakistan, wanted to hand over the trophy himself, while the Indian team was adamant in not accepting it from him in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, and also some provocative posts he had made on social media about the skirmish between the two countries in May.

Now, the victorious team has to get the trophy, but there’s nothing sacrosanct written anywhere about who can hand it over. One has seen a top political dignitary handing over the silverware after a big final even if they didn’t hold a sporting designation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave away the 2023 World Cup trophy to Australia (ironically, after they had beaten India in the final at a stadium named after him), and then-Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto did likewise when Sri Lanka became the 1996 champions. Naqvi had the option of stepping aside and allowing someone else to do the honours in Dubai, but that would have required a show of magnanimity and bigheartedness that would seem out of place in the present environment marked by churlish behaviour. This pettiness by players and administrators is contrasted by the general bonhomie between the two sets of supporters in the stands, but things may change in the near future, if they follow the examples set by the people who matter.