India’s victory over Pakistan in the Asia Cup final on September 28 has reignited political tensions between the two neighbours, with the match being cast as yet another front in their long-standing rivalry.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while congratulating the Indian team, drew a direct comparison between the triumph on the field and military success. “Operation Sindoor on the games field. Outcome is the same – India wins! Congrats to our cricketers,” he posted on X. The statement came just weeks after he had hailed India’s cross-border military action, also dubbed Operation Sindoor, as a “victory” during his July 29 parliamentary address.
The final itself was overshadowed by controversy. India refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chair Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan’s federal interior minister and the head of the Pakistan Cricket Board. Instead of proceeding with the presentation, the ACC removed the trophy and medals from the podium, leaving the Indian team to celebrate with a makeshift “shadow trophy.”
Naqvi retaliated on social media, accusing Modi of politicising sport. “If war was your measure of pride, history already records your humiliating defeats at Pakistan’s hands. No cricket match can rewrite that truth. Dragging war into sport only exposes desperation and disgraces the very spirit of the game,” he wrote.
The tournament had been mired in controversy from the outset, with calls in India to boycott Pakistan. Political rhetoric spilled onto the field as well—India’s players repeatedly declined to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts, including after the final.
Analysts say the Asia Cup ended less as a celebration of cricket and more as a reflection of deepening hostility. “No one emerges from this fiasco looking good,” said Irfan Nooruddin, professor of Indian politics at Georgetown University, who criticised both sides. He noted that India’s refusal to engage in customary gestures of sportsmanship and Naqvi’s handling of the trophy ceremony symbolised the growing intrusion of politics into South Asian cricket. (Source: AlJazeera)
