“Team India should have shaken hands with Pakistan’s players"; “PM Modi should never have dragged Op Sindoor onto the cricket field"; “There was no need for India’s captain to dedicate the win to the Pahalgam attack victims."

Just a small sample of the jibes from self-styled cricket purists directed towards Team India for not displaying sportsmanship on the cricket field.

But these armchair critics are deluded. They are making the cardinal mistake of investing India-Pakistan encounters with virtue when they are little more than war by other means. And this is true for sporting encounters between belligerent states in any part of the world.

Victories have boosted national pride. Winning champions are paraded as modern-day gladiators for the cause.........

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