Though cricket and politics make strange bedfellows, they are often seen together. Things get even more heated when it involves the neighbours India and Pakistan. If it was India men’s team that sported a political cap last year, it was the women’s team that followed suit last week.
Such a stance was first struck at last year’s Men’s Asia Cup, where Suryakumar Yadav and Co refused to shake hands with Pakistan players and receive the trophy from Asian Cricket Council chief Mohsin Naqvi. The drama continued with Naqvi, who tucked away the trophy to the ACC headquarters, declaring India could pick it up from Dubai.
One must understand that the Asia Cup victory came barely months after the deadly terrorist attack on civilians at Pahalgam and Naqvi is also Pakistan’s interior minister. It’s more than a year since, but the wounds are yet to heal. The Board of Control for Cricket in India on Sunday confirmed an institutional decision, backed by the women’s team captain and players, of a similar boycott after winning the Women’s Asia Cup. Things became controversial when Naqvi was seen sitting next to BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia and vice-president Rajeev Shukla in the royal box at the Dubai International Stadium. But Saikia later clarified it was a courtesy call and that the decision not to receive the trophy from Naqvi had been conveyed to the ACC in advance.
Unfortunately, both sides seemed resolute in their stance. India played the women’s final against Sri Lanka, and Naqvi could have easily made way for someone else on the podium; but he did not. A day earlier, Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana refused to shake hands with India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, though that was more for personal reasons than political. The Bangladesh Cricket Board, which had pulled out of last year’s Women’s World Cup co-hosted by India citing security concerns, quickly distanced itself.
Pakistan have clarified that though they will not play any bilateral series with India, they will be willing to face their neighbours at multinational competitions. The next such opportunity will be at the Asian Games in Japan. It is yet to be known if Naqvi will be involved in the presentation ceremony, though it is not mandatory for him to give away medals at that competition.