India’s recent win over rival Pakistan in the final of the Asia Cup triggered a fresh round of inflammatory rhetoric between the two nuclear-tipped adversaries. The match on Sunday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium saw India beating arch-rival Pakistan by five wickets. It was, as always, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comments that took center stage. He underlined the new and ongoing war with Pakistan. He pointed to “Operation Sindoor,” a military operation launched following an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir early this year.
This cycle of violence heightened in May after a terrorist attack on Indian tourists in the Kashmir Valley led to 22 deaths. In response, India blamed the attack on arch-rival Pakistan, which has since denied involvement. The crisis nearly intensified beyond control, pushing both countries towards a fifth full-scale war. The fighting resulted in more than 70 deaths from missile and drone strikes. Media reports indicate that India lost at least one or more fighter jets during the conflict. An Indian naval officer indicated these losses were compounded by “constraints” imposed on military operations by the government in New Delhi.
When India’s cricketers won the recent cricket World Cup, Modi sang their praises on Twitter. He announced, “#OperationSindoor from the games field. Result same – India WINS! Congratulations to our cricketers.” His remarks have been seen as making an obvious link between international sporting events and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The cricket match itself was marked by a refusal from the Indian team to accept their trophy from Asia Cricket Council (ACC) chief Mohsin Naqvi, who serves as Pakistan’s interior minister and head of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). After the final, Devajit Saikia, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), announced thrilling plans. As a first step, he declared that they will officially protest against Naqvi at the International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting scheduled for November.
Whereas awardees Tilak Varma, Abhishek Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav accepted their honors, though the latter three players never really interacted with Naqvi. This silence served only to deepen the increasing hostility between them. Pakistan’s captain, Salman Agha, criticized India’s actions post-match, asserting that such conduct is detrimental to cricket. As Taylor put it, “What they did today, a good team doesn’t do that. Good teams do what we have done. We then waited for our medals and posed with them.
Tensions were high, and the atmosphere during last year’s final was electric, as both teams exchanged gang signs that depicted their bitter rivalry. Indian players especially made it a point not to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts following the match.
As India basks in the glory of its cricketing win, it is time to shun negativity. The undercurrent of tension in its relationship with Pakistan remains. The shadows of conflict stretch well beyond the cricket pitch. They underscore the complexities that continue to shape relations and often complicate cooperation between the two countries.
