Asia Cup: Brave call by Surya, but have Men in Blue become a political pawn?

Suryakumar Yadav, the easygoing Indian T20 skipper, revealed that it was ‘part of a plan’ not to exchange in any pleasantries with the Pakistan team during their Asia Cup game in Dubai – but the question is whether the Men in Blue have unwitting become a political pawn in the strained relationship between two countries.

More than the one-sided nature of the contest which saw India proving to be a class apart , it was their refusal to shake hands with the rival team after the game which has become the talking point in the global media. Asked about it, Surya showed refreshing candour when he said: ‘’I think our government and BCCI were perfectly aligned. When we came here we took a call that we just came here to play the game. We gave a proper reply.’’

A gesture which seems to have calmed the nerves of their legion of fans on social media – if not the Opposition parties which had upped the ante about playing Pakistan after the Pahalgam massacre and Operation Sindoor. Even at the presentation ceremony before the press conference, Surya took the opportunity to say that the Indian team stood in solidarity with victims of Pahalgam massacre and and how the team always draws inspiration from the Indian Army.

An unpopular opinion, however, is whether the cricketers – pilloried for last two months ever since the fixtures were announced – have unwittingly got caught in the geopolitics from here onwards. The India-Pakistan game may have always created a hype in cricket media of the sub-continent to portray them as warriors, while the reality is they are actually well paid professional athletes trying to excel.

A symbolic gesture by the Indian team, while taking the heat off the cricketers temporarily, may even seem like optics to many. After all, the marquee match had already been played and enjoyed huge eyeballs on TV while another Super Four match between them is round the corner – which goes a long way in making the insipid competition a saleable product.

When the BCCI was left in the lurch in face of strong wave of criticism for accepting to play Pakistan, a regular argument was that India needed to adopt an inclusive approach towards other nations as a potential bidder for 2036 Olympics. However, using the sporting arena to make a political statement is treated as an anathema by several world governing bodies of sport – but Surya’s statement just falls short of that.

Truth be told, the cricketers had no choice as they cannot unilaterally decide to concede a match and lose points in a multi-nation tournament. The sport, meanwhile, is hopelessly reliant on this one game, be it at the ICC or ACC events - and this effectively means the BCCI and PCB may hate each other but cannot do with each other.

Under the circumstances, it was a calculated move on part of Surya & Co but then Sunday’s precedent shuts the door on the time-tested wisdom of trying to see the India-Pakistan game as ‘just another game.’ It’s just become a proxy war - which the cricket establishment may find even difficult to contain in the coming days.