The Asia Cup match between India and Pakistan in Dubai will be remembered for two achievements. First, Suryakumar Yadav became an overnight superstar for refusing a handshake with Pakistan’s players.
So much so that his birthday greetings to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who turned 75, became headline news on channels such as India Today.
Second, television news anchors like Arnab Goswami and Rahul Shivshankar, and commentators such as Anand Ranganathan, who usually support the Narendra Modi government, actually criticised the PM and his government for allowing the match to be played.
The irony is that they joined TV anchors they usually differ with — like Sandeep Chaudhary (ABP News) and India Today’s Rajdeep Sardesai — in strongly opposing the India-Pakistan game.
Goswami targeted the BCCI, but we all know that the India-Pakistan encounter could take place only with the Indian Government’s go ahead (Republic TV).
“The match is disrespectful to the martyrs (of the Pahalgam terror attack)… (This is not) my Team India… stop this terrible match… This match is a disgrace…’’ fumed Goswami before the game.
Rajdeep Sardesai agreed: “The game should not have happened…’’
Next, Rahul Shivshankar said there was no attempt to “turf Pakistan out” of international cricket even though Home Minister Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah is the International Cricket Council (ICC) Chairman.
The reason India play Pakistan at a multilateral event is “money”. “…. BCCI would rather count the cash…It must walk the talk, how about donating every single paisa earned (at Asia Cup) … to the military?’’ Shivshankar asked (CNN-News18).
On ABP News, Sandeep Chaudhary echoed Shivshankar. Is it money or the bid to host the Olympics that forced India to play against Pakistan, he asked.
The BCCI claimed it was following the government, the anchor said, adding that a 10-second TV commercial during an India-Pakistan match cost Rs 50 lakh.
Academic Ranganathan was more forceful: “If we are talking about hypocrisy, it’s not just the BCCI, it’s also the government… why are we trading with Pakistan, importing from Pakistan…?” he said angrily on CNN-News18.
Then he named the Prime Minister: People are “going after BCCI not after Modi… why are they scared to call out Modi… Modi is in wrong here…’’
Zakka Jacob spoke for all these anchors when he said that if “water and blood’’ cannot flow together — a reference to the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan being suspended since the Pahalgam massacre — then can “blood and cricket?’’ (CNN-News18).
SKY, SKY, SKY
“India hammered Pakistan” (Times Now) in an easy win last Sunday at the Asia Cup, but it was SKY who stole the limelight by stroking a smooth six for victory and then walking off the pitch without a backward glance or shaking hands with Pakistan’s players — while chewing gum throughout.
He then dedicated India’s win to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack, and the armed forces.
The Indian Express couldn’t resist a pun in its lead headline: “India win hands down, skip the handshake with Pakistan…” (15 September).
“Pakistan left wringing its hands” came from India Today. Stronger language was used by other news channels to describe the Indian team turning its back on Pakistan’s players when they went to the dressing room: “India slammed the door on Pakistan,” wrote NDTV 24×7.
Suryakumar Yadav was on every screen throughout Monday as news channels replayed videos from before and after the game was won: SKY ignoring Pakistan’s captain….at the toss, SKY hitting the winning six, SKY refusing to shake hands with Pakistani players, SKY dedicating the win to Pahalgam victims post-match, SKY speaking at the team press conference…SKY, SKY, SKY.
This was seen as “shaming” Pakistan (Aaj Tak) and giving them a patriotic response. The New York Times said as much: “Going into the cricket match, the first since the conflict, India’s government and its cricket establishment were ‘aligned,’ Mr. Yadav said, appearing to acknowledge a new level of nationalistic fervor being attached to the game in India.’’
The Hindu recognised this while complimenting him in its Wednesday story, “Suryakumar pulls his weight both as a batter and captain: SKY’s…walk straight back to the changing room without exchanging handshakes with the opposition has garnered more attention than the cricket action…,’’ it wrote.
“I did not expect it. I don’t remember such a hard stand (by any captain/team),’’ said cricket writer Vimal Kumar on Times Now Navbharat.
Also read: Coup, conspiracy & the foreign hand—What Indian TV news channels saw in Nepal this week
‘Yes’ and ‘No’
By Monday evening, the question on prime-time debates was if SKY and the team had “redeemed’’ their reputation in the eyes of the public who had opposed playing the match?
“Yes”, came the resounding answer as cricket writers and TV anchors said Suryakumar — and the team — were right to “prioritise player security and nationalism…’’ before playing courtesies (Vishnu Som, NDTV 24×7).
“100 per cent’’, agreed cricket writer Boria Majumdar.
No, no argued anchors like Rajdeep Sardesai and several former players like Shishir Hattangadi and Atul Wassan. Their argument? If you agree to play a game, you must abide by its conventions, otherwise don’t play.
Pakistani commentators and TV anchors said much the same thing in the video clips we saw on Indian news channels such as India TV. “Why not shake hands?” they asked. For once, some Indian TV anchors and several Pakistan TV anchors seemed to share the same views.
The author tweets @shailajabajpai. Views are personal.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)