Faisal Ahmad<\/p>\n
There is a tragic absurdity to modern cross-border sportsmanship, perfectly encapsulated when the Indian women\u2019s cricket team recently followed their male counterparts\u2019 script by refusing to accept their Asia Cup trophy from Asian Cricket Council President and PCB Chief Mohsin Naqvi. What was once heralded as the \u201cgentlemen\u2019s game\u201d has been systematically reduced to a petty extension of state propaganda.
\nBut this never-ending cycle of empty podiums, skipped handshakes and political post-match speeches has nothing to do with strength. It\u2019s a reflection of a fundamental, deep-seated institutional insecurity. When the men\u2019s team pulled a similar stunt last year, it followed close on the heels of mounting political posturing. This mindset was laid bare when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly tweeted, \u201cOperation Sindoor on the games field,\u201d after a T20 match. If a bat and ball are considered to be a weapon, then one can see a disturbing pattern in the way New Delhi\u2019s decision-makers are seeing sports grounds as a proxy battleground to try to make up for losses elsewhere.
\nTo understand why this is happening with such frequency, one must look beyond the boundary line of the stadium. India\u2019s strategic and diplomatic setbacks after the standoff in May 2025 have increasingly excluded the leadership of the country from the main strategic and diplomatic parameters of the region and the world alike. Conversely, Pakistan\u2019s diplomatic stock has steadily risen. Islamabad has reasserted itself as a reliable and pragmatic mediator, and its ability to negotiate delicate diplomatic lines with the big boys of the world, such as the United States and Iran, makes the point amply enough.
\nUnable to match Pakistan\u2019s growing diplomatic reliability, the machinery in New Delhi relies heavily on domestic distraction. The psychological bubble burst in two predictable ways: hyper-nationalist cinema, producing jingoistic thrillers such as Dhurandhar, Border 2, etc., and aggressive posturing on the cricket ground.
\nThe irony here is as stark as it is painful. In pure, objective cricketing terms, the landscape is uneven. Following humbling Test defeats in England recently, Pakistan\u2019s cricket structure is undeniably grappling with deep technical deficiencies, talent gaps, skill issues and execution flaws on the world stage. The Indian team boasts vastly superior infrastructure, financial muscle and depth. India is miles ahead on all counts of athletic development.
\nYet, despite this clear on-board superiority, the establishment behaves with a fragile panic. They have come to believe that beating a weak Pakistani team in a stadium or demonising them on television is an acceptable way to get a better deal for geopolitical standing. Even in India, sane voices and veterans of the game have repeatedly cautioned against the weaponisation of sports, which threatens the country\u2019s international standing.
\nThis vicious circle is powered by India\u2019s unabated \u201cGodi media\u201d. These networks are state-empowered engines of hubris, turning all sporting events into existential battles. They manufacture outrage and dish out manufactured hostility to the public, which makes sure that sports and diplomacy are not free of partisan domestic agendas.
\nWhen a cricket board tells its players to ignore protocols, it is not showing a sense of pride in their country; it is instead displaying a very profound lack of grace. Sporting confidence is about playing hard on the field and being dignified off the field as well. Until New Delhi comes to understand that a cricket match is not a tool for changing geopolitical realities, the gentlemen\u2019s game will continue to be hostage to manufactured insecurity.<\/p>\n
The writer is a freelance columnist who is an alumnus of QAU and FUI He can be reached at fa7263125@gmail.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Faisal Ahmad There is a tragic absurdity to modern cross-border sportsmanship, perfectly encapsulated when the Indian women\u2019s cricket team recently followed their male counterparts\u2019 script by refusing to accept their Asia Cup trophy from Asian Cricket Council President and PCB Chief Mohsin Naqvi. What was once heralded as the \u201cgentlemen\u2019s game\u201d has been systematically reduced […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[13178],"class_list":["post-567921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-article","tag-faisal-ahmad"],"yoast_head":"\n