‘India v Pakistan becoming a political rivalry rather than sporting one’Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, There were no handshakes between the two captains at the toss or between any players at the end of the game ByNathan JohnsCricket writer in ColomboPublished1 hour agoColombo awoke to its greyest sky of the week come Sunday morning. A portent, perhaps, of the weather forecast which briefly caused a scare prior to India’s dominant win over Pakistan later that evening.
It certainly mirrored the cloud lurking over the build-up to cricket’s most-charged derby. Pakistan relented on their original decision to boycott the fixture in solidarity with Bangladesh, who had to forfeit their place in this T20 World Cup when refused dispensation to play their games outside of India.
Arguably more interest stemmed from the pageantry of Sunday’s game than from the actual cricket. Plenty were on handshake-watch given recent history between these two. Polite formalities did not return at the toss, Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Ali Agha giving each other the silent treatment.
To be ready for the myriad cameras capturing the flip of the coin, both captains have to be in place a good two minutes before getting on with the ceremony. When mired in such awkwardness, it seems an eternity.
Enough time for a detail-oriented TV producer to spot that Salman, Pakistan’s skipper, sported a kink in his collar. The scruffy schoolboy-look was rectified by an anonymous figure inadvertently stealing the situation’s authority. It certainly detracted from the attempted strong-man image projected by stubborn leaders.
As did the behaviour of the ex-pros off the pitch. On the ICC broadcast, Rohit Sharma and Wasim Akram warmly greeted before walking the tournament trophy onto the field. Away from the cameras, Harbhajan Singh, Misbah Ul-Haq and Ramiz Raja were spotted in cordial conversation in the media area.
