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STUMP VISION SEPTEMBER 26, 2025 | The Indian Eye 42

India vs Pakistan: Cricket Rivalry

That Mirrors a Fractured Relationship

Beyond boundaries and scoreboards, the recent Asia Cup clash exposed how cricket continues to reflect

the sharp political tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad.

OUR BUREAU was the “handshake snub” that dom-
inated front pages across South Asia.
Dubai
The match became another chapter
ubai was once again the stage in the story of how India-Pakistan
for one of cricket’s fiercest cricket often mirrors the fractured
Drivalries, but the latest In- state of their relations.
dia-Pakistan Asia Cup encounter Since partition, cricket has been
turned into more than a contest of more than just a sport between In-
runs and wickets. India’s emphatic dia and Pakistan. From Javed Mian-
seven-wicket win was overshadowed dad’s last-ball six in Sharjah (1986)
by a controversy that went far beyond to India’s World Cup dominance
the game: the absence of the custom- over Pakistan, every encounter car-
ary handshake. ries political undertones. Unlike
When Indian captain Suryaku- England-Australia’s Ashes rivalry,
mar Yadav and his teammates walked which thrives on mutual respect, the
off without acknowledging their Pa- Indo-Pak fixture is fraught with mis-
kistani counterparts, it became the trust, security concerns, and nation-
defining image of the evening. alistic fervour.
For Pakistan, it was an act of dis- This time, those undertones
respect. For India, it was a political spilled openly onto the field. For
statement aligned with New Delhi’s India, refusing to shake hands was
policy of limiting engagement with about solidarity with terror victims.
Islamabad to multilateral tourna- For Pakistan, it was a slight against
ments. sportsmanship. For the ICC, it was
“This was a collective call be- another reminder of how even the
tween the BCCI and the govern- Varun Chakaravarthy and Suryakumar Yadav celebrate the wicket of Pakistan’s Faheem Ashraf world’s most lucrative sport struggles
ment,” Suryakumar said later. “We during their match in the Asia Cup 2025, at Dubai International Stadium in Dubai on Sunday (ANI) when nationalism takes centre stage.
came here to play cricket, but a few
things in life are ahead of sportsman- WHAT LIES AHEAD
ship. We stand with the victims of the Ganguly defended the move: “The cancelling press conferences. For
Pahalgam terror attack and dedicate team did what it thought was right. the PCB, the episode became a way he Asia Cup controversy leaves
this win to our armed forces.” Terrorism should not happen — any- of shifting the spotlight away from a bigger question: can cricket
where. Sports is different, but when the team’s poor performance on the Tever bridge the divide? With
THE POLITICAL SHADOW civilians are killed, the message has field. India maintaining its no-bilateral pol-
to be strong.” Former umpire Anil Chaudhary icy and Pakistan using cricketing plat-
he backdrop to the incident The Pakistan Cricket Board was blunt in his assessment: “There forms to air grievances, the chances
was not just sporting rival- (PCB) wasted no time in lodging is no ICC rule about handshakes. appear remote.
Try. In April, a terror attack in a protest. Their team manager ac- This was unnecessarily created. The Still, fans on both sides continue
Pahalgam claimed 26 lives, sparking cused match referee Andy Pycroft PCB knew their complaints wouldn’t to watch in the millions, advertisers
Operation Sindoor by Indian securi- of instructing the captains to avoid stand, but they still pushed it.” pour money into broadcasts, and ev-
ty forces against Pakistan-sponsored handshakes. The PCB went further, ery India-Pakistan clash becomes a
militants. Since then, ties between the demanding Pycroft’s removal from THE GAME THAT GOT LOST global spectacle. Perhaps that is why,
two countries have nosedived, with the tournament. despite politics, the rivalry refuses to
India maintaining no bilateral crick- But the International Crick- ronically, the cricket itself was die — it feeds off the very tensions
eting engagements. et Council (ICC) made it clear that one-sided. Pakistan, reduced to that make the two nations adversar-
The Asia Cup was the first time such demands would not be enter- I97/8, limped to 127/9 thanks to ies beyond the boundary.
the two teams met after those events, tained. “If ICC accepts this, it sets a late blitz from Shaheen Afridi. In- As Anil Chaudhary summed it
and the tension was palpable. the wrong precedent,” an ICC source dia’s chase was clinical — Abhishek up: “The handshake issue will be for-
For many observers, India’s deci- told ANI. The complaint was effec- Sharma’s cameo and Suryakumar’s gotten. But the rivalry will not. Every
sion not to shake hands was symbol- tively dismissed. unbeaten 47 sealed the game with 25 time they play, the political baggage
ic. It demonstrated that while cricket Unhappy, Pakistan staged its balls to spare. Kuldeep Yadav’s 3/18 will walk onto the pitch with them.”
can bring India and Pakistan onto own symbolic protests: skipping post- earned him Player of the Match. For now, cricket remains both
the same field, it cannot erase the match presentations, delaying its de- Yet, few headlines spoke about the battlefield and the bargaining ta-
bitterness of geopolitics. parture to the stadium for a crucial the bowling brilliance or Suryaku- ble, where India and Pakistan contest
Former India captain Sourav fixture against the UAE, and even mar’s finishing flourish. Instead, it not just for runs, but for narratives.

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