Captain Suryakumar Yadav’s majestic sixer that sealed India’s emphatic victory over Pakistan in the Asia Cup match on September 14 was a stroke of authority and elegance. What followed, however, was anything but elegant. Yadav’s refusal to take part in the customary post-match handshake with Pakistan’s captain Salman Ali Agha was among the most inappropriate gestures ever seen from an Indian sportsperson. His remarks, echoed by coach Gautam Gambhir—dedicating the win to victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and to the army for Operation Sindoor—made clear the reason. Cricket had been reduced to a stage for political messaging.

India-Pakistan matches have always inflamed nationalist passions. Fans, players and the media from both countries alike have often indulged in ugly displays of hostility. Yet there have also been moments of grace when rivals congratulated each other with warmth. Never before, however, had an Indian team officially expressed such petty jingoism on the ground.

It is true the Pahalgam attack, which claimed 26 innocent Indian lives, was heinous, and equally true that its roots lay across the border. But does that justify carrying our rightful rage into the arenas of sport and art? Should hostility towards Pakistan extend to all its people, condemning our shared neighbourhood to a permanent cauldron of hate?

Some defended Yadav’s act as retaliation for the silence of Pakistani cricketers on the Pahalgam killings. But if that were the logic, would not refusing to play altogether be the honest choice—rather than abandoning sportsmanship after the game? And is there not a sweeter revenge than defeating Pakistan on the field itself?

The danger lies in the precedent. Had India lost, would Yadav and Gambhir have accepted responsibility for dragging the nation into national humiliation? That few Indian voices spoke against........

© Mathrubhumi English