What Was Won and  Lost in Dubai

After India’s convincing win over Pakistan in cricket in Dubai yesterday , The Indian Express today  carried the front-page headline “ India wins hands down over Pak, skip the handshake: For Kin of Pahalgam victims, Armed Forces “  The sports correspondent’s  report  mentions that at the end of the game the Indian captain walked away without shaking hands with Pakistani players or their captain . Obviously, one cannot shake hand with one’s  hands down!

 Yes,  the mood of the team and that of most in  the country is that this cricket win is the true decider of   Operation Sindoor against Pakistani terrorists,  which after  four days of hostilities ended with  both armies agreeing to a ceasefire , notwithstanding  President Trump’s repeated claim that he  brokered  this  ceasefire.

The question arises  why  the winning in a sporting event  should be considered  to decide the winner  in the case of  conflicts between nations over issues like terrorist attacks, border disputes,  etc,.  The Government of India and the BCCI  were not against India playing Pakistan in Dubai; only a faction of a regional political party and some members of the victim of Pahalgam massacre protested against the match. Even  after a major shift in India’s relations with Pakistan  marked by significant tension and hostility after Pahalgam, the diplomatic relations between the two countries have only resulted in  a limited presence of  staff in their respective embassies and   not a total abandonment

There is a famous  saying that the Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton, implying that the discipline, leadership, and values earned by British officers in public schools like Eton provided the foundation for their victory in the Napoleonic wars.

With reference to sports, it  may be said that apart from the above qualities,  a team’s respect for the overall  aim and purpose of sports and observance of courtesy and etiquette on the field is as important  if not more  than winning.  Nations use  sports  and sportsmen as ambassadors to promote goodwill and friendship . This alone represents the spirit of playing the  games and the reason why the late Jawaharlal Nehru exhorted the sportsmen to play the game in the spirit of the game.

 

Before the advent of ODI and T20 formats  cricket  matches  were of 5 days duration and  called TEST Matches as they were considered the ultimate test of a cricketer’s skill, endurance and temperament.  Implied were also the players’ gestures of friendship, empathy and mutual respect. Cricket was called a Gentlemen’s game  for features like accepting the Umpires’ decision as final, a dress code of white flannel for players and some rare cases of foul language.  A shining example of  concern and extraordinary empathy was that exhibited  by the West Indies captain Sir Frank Worrel and his team mates when the  Indian cricket captain Nari Contractor sustained a severe head injury while facing a bouncer from Charlie Griffith in 1962 .

In the past, India’s win over Pakistan in cricket  were  celebrations merely as a sports victory and not for  any    other reason.  

In  Dubai ,  we won a game of cricket  but lost its spirit.