Sri Lanka Women’s team Captain Chamari Athapaththu receives the runner-up cheque from Asian Cricket Council President Mohsin Naqvi (left)
- This farcical attitude of India must stop
By Sa’adi Thawfeeq
It happened again for the second time at an Asian Cricket Council (ACC)-conducted international tournament, where India skipped the awards presentation and refused to be present to accept the Women’s Asia Cup from ACC President Mohsin Naqvi.
India beat Sri Lanka in the Women’s Asia Cup final on Sunday to record their eighth win in the contest, thus underlining their dominance in the tournament.
India’s women have followed their male counterparts when the Indian men’s team lifted the Asia Cup at the same venue, the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, in September last year and refused to be present at the awards ceremony to receive the Asia Cup from Naqvi.
It does not end there, for the Indian Captain also shies away from shaking hands with her Pakistan counterpart during the toss, and the players don’t even shake hands with the opposition at the end of a match at any international contest.
These incidents clearly indicate that India is bringing politics into play on the playing field. The relationship between the two countries politically is strained, and the refusal to accept the trophy is linked to Naqvi’s position as Pakistan’s Interior Minister alongside his roles as ACC President and Pakistan Cricket Board President.
If this is the attitude that India adopts when facing Pakistan at cricket, why play them at all?
There is no use playing Pakistan and creating a big charade afterwards at the toss and at the end of the match and the awards ceremony for all the world to see.
An India-Pakistan contest is good for the broadcasters to create a hype and mislead cricket supporters from both countries, promoting it as a massive event in cricket whereas it is not.
Even before the toss, everybody knows who the eventual winner is going to be. Contests between the two sides have in recent times become so one-sided that there is no contest at all.
Thankfully, the inaugural ICC Champions Trophy that is to be hosted by India in February next year will not have Pakistan as one of the six contestants, as only the top six-ranked teams are eligible to qualify.
This haughty stance taken by India is not helping the game at all but simply dividing it. It is time they came off of their high-horse attitude and adopted a level playing field.
Cricket is a game to be enjoyed, not used for any political gain or revenge.
