Sixers from Captain Modi

India’s Asia Cup win against Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday was supposed to be about cricketing glory. Instead, it turned into a geopolitical innings after Prime Minister Narendra Modi smashed a six of his own — tying the triumph to “Operation Sindoor”, India’s May clash with Pakistan.

“Operation Sindoor on the games field. Outcome is the same – India wins! Congrats to our cricketers,” Modi posted on X, triggering an uproar across South Asia.

Cricket Meets the Battlefield

The Prime Minister’s words referred to the short but deadly four-day conflict in May, when missile and drone strikes killed more than 70 people after India blamed Pakistan for a militant attack in Kashmir that killed 22 tourists. Islamabad denied responsibility, but the skirmish brought the nuclear-armed neighbours to the brink of war.

For many, Modi’s comparison of a cricket final to a military operation blurred the line between sport and statecraft — and played straight into the theatre of India-Pakistan rivalry.

Trophy Drama in Dubai

If Modi’s post was a six, India’s players followed with their own bold stroke. Having beaten Pakistan by five wickets, they refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president and Pakistan’s interior minister.

Only the individual award winners — Tilak Varma, Abhishek Sharma, and Kuldeep Yadav — appeared on stage. They collected their prizes but pointedly ignored Naqvi, who stood stony-faced and declined to clap.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen a winning team denied their trophy,” Kuldeep Yadav told reporters.

Pakistan Cries Foul

Pakistan’s captain Salman Agha called India’s behaviour “bad for cricket,” accusing the team of disrespecting the game itself. “Good teams do what we did. We waited for our medals and took them,” he said.

Meanwhile, the BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia announced plans to lodge a protest against Naqvi at the next ICC meeting in November.

Sport or Statecraft?

From refusing handshakes throughout the tournament to a fiery trophy boycott, India’s cricketers mirrored their government’s hard stance. Modi’s tweet only added fuel to the fire, with critics warning that cricket is now a proxy for the larger political conflict.

For supporters, though, this was a double victory: one on the field, one on the front of national pride. For others, it was proof that in South Asia, cricket is never just cricket.