There is considerable outrage across the country against Sunday’s Asia Cup T-20 cricket match between India and Pakistan, scheduled to be played in Dubai. The match is being played just about five months after the Pahalgam terror attack and four months after Operation Sindhoor.
There is no doubt that the Pahalgam terror attack was carried out at the behest of the Pakistan Army and Inter-Services Intelligence. Moreover, Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir had made a venomous speech targeting India just a week before the Pahalgam terror attack. That could not have been a mere coincidence.
Those opposing the match between India and Pakistan, and the majority of people in the country are against it, are driven by genuine sentiments and emotions. Sporting activity cannot take place amidst bloodshed that the Pakistan Army has been repeatedly and regularly unleashing on India as part of its attempt to “bleed India with a thousand cuts.”
Pahalgam is not the first terror attack carried out by terrorists supported by Pakistan. There have been many, innumerable terror attacks—the Parliament attack, the Mumbai terror attack, the Uri attack, Pulwama attack, just to name a few—that have been carried out in India by Pakistan-supported terrorists. But did India stop playing with Pakistan after such terror attacks? Of course not. Yes, there have been periodical interregnums when the two countries did not play for a while, only to resume the game after some time.
Even if India would not play Pakistan on Sunday, this does not mean it will never play with that country in future. Yes, this time there is outrage against the match between the two hostile neighbours, because it is being held within a short span of a terror attack whose horrible memories are still fresh in our minds. Had it been scheduled after some more time, perhaps there would not be such outrage as is seen and felt right now.
India and Pakistan have not played any “bilateral games” for a long time now. The last bilateral series between the two countries was in 2012–13, when they played a few bilateral international and T-20 games in India. Since then, the two countries have faced each other only in multinational tournaments like the World Cup, Asia Cup, or other international tourneys.
To assume that the Board of Control for Cricket in India keeps financial considerations above everything else in relation to an India–Pakistan match is too simplistic a conclusion. Suppose India opts out of playing with Pakistan—it will get a walkover and gain extra points. Not playing against a cricket team means conceding the match points. Needless to add, in a match between India and Pakistan, there is always a strong probability of India winning. Why should the country concede its match points to any other team, and that too to Pakistan?
Yes, the financial angle is always there when India and Pakistan play against each other. Given the subcontinent’s passion for cricket, sentiments of about 1.6 billion people are involved when the two teams play. At any given time, hundreds of millions of people are watching the game. This obviously generates huge revenues for sponsors. But that is only a fractional aspect.
As already mentioned, India and Pakistan would eventually be playing anyway, even if they do not play in the ongoing Asia Cup. History is witness to the fact that the two countries have not stopped playing cricket even after the worst provocations from Pakistan in terms of sponsoring terror attacks in India.
Sports and politics need to be kept separate. There are so many countries in the world that are as hostile against each other as India and Pakistan. They still confront each other in sporting events. No country has boycotted an event just because of the other country. Similarly, why should India boycott any match with Pakistan? This time it is the Asia Cup. Next time it may be the World Cup. Would India boycott playing Pakistan then also?
Suppose both teams, India and Pakistan, reach the final of the Asia Cup. Will India simply concede the cup to Pakistan just because we do not want to play against that country? The same holds true for the World Cup. The decision to play against Pakistan is in the long-term interest of Indian cricket.
It is better to confront Pakistan on the cricket ground as well. It goes without saying that for cricket lovers in the subcontinent, a match between India and Pakistan is the most thrilling experience. Everyone loves and enjoys it. It is like enjoying a war without any loss of lives. Because a game of cricket with Pakistan is as serious as an actual battle—probably even more serious than that.
A victory over Pakistan on the cricket field, like everywhere else, generates a cathartic feeling among 1.4 billion people.
Also Read: Hype of Indo-Pak match missing, but exciting contest on cards
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