Of handshakes and Rafales

Modi's madman Hindutva ideology and political extremism has taken over Indian cricket. The gentleman's game has been turned into a third class Indian soap with its characteristic overdramatic, zooming in and out scenes of slaps and stares. The Indian cricket team has left no grays. They have acted blatantly and shamelessly to hurt the spirit of the game. Rest assured, not shaking hands on the field will not lessen the defeat incurred by the Indian Air Force on May 7.

India are a top-tier team in international cricket, and their players' actions against Pakistan in the ongoing Asia Cup deserve a zero in professionalism and sportsmanship. Violating the code of conduct in such an unsporty manner shows the hatred which the Indian government has towards Pakistan and which they are trying to indoctrinate in their masses through cricket. I am sure deep down Pakistani players were relieved when they heard that their counterparts would not be shaking hands before and after the game. I mean who in their right mind would want to shake hands with someone who drinks questionable animal fluids?

Furthermore, Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav, who is nicknamed SKY (aligning well with India's Rafale jets falling from the 'sky' on May 7) gave bad taste to the beautiful game by bringing politics into sports and mentioning Pahalgam attack victims. Does India discuss cricket during United Nations Security Council meetings and raise voice on peace and security issues during post-cricket match press talks? Cricket certainly is not the platform to promote fanaticism.

It goes without saying that India is the largest marketplace and financer of cricket across the globe. This privilege comes with great responsibility and caution. India has used its influence to no benefit and has instead reduced cricket to the same joke and delusion which they had in May where the Indian armed forces destroyed the non-existent Lahore 'port'.

India is isolated in terms that it is the only country in the cricketing world where the game is held as dearly as religion. Their local league, IPL, generates more money than any ICC event. If India continues to politicise the game and use it as a means of propagating its warmongering agenda then the damage would only be theirs to face as no other nation, not even England and Australia, has stakes as high as India in the game. Most people even in Australia, England, South Africa and New Zealand are still unaware of the game. Efforts are underway by the ICC to increase the popularity of the sport across the globe. The same reason why the last ICC World Cup was held in America. India needs to understand that there is no place for dirty politics in cricket and politicising the game would only end them in deeper waters.

The success of operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos, the downing of 6 Indian jets and the embarrassment faced by the Indian 'fake news' media at the hands of its own public during the recent Pak-India skirmish has weakened India's image internationally. Many countries including the USA are tilting towards Pakistan. In a bid to escape this global insult and mockery India has now hijacked cricket with their radical mindset but here again they have been exposed badly.

The Indian cricket team is clearly the better side on paper and on the field as well. They are currently unstoppable both with the bat and ball only because they respect merit. They have a well thought of cricketing system which produces technically sound players who know how to handle pressure on the field. We have much to learn from them in cricket; but one thing which Indians can learn from us is that class cannot be bought with money, the same way they bought cricket and turned it into their personal mouthpiece.