Shobhaa De | What A Disgrace! Going From Gully Cricket to Gaalis Kirkit

“My real trophy is my team”, declared India’s cricket captain Suryakumar Yadav, after he and the Men in Blue were denied the joy of lifting the real trophy, at the end of the disgraceful Asia Cup final in Dubai last Sunday. There has been enough commentary on the churlishness on parade, but what really took the cake (or kebab) was the sight of the Asian Cricket Council chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, walking off with the trophy after the Indian team had refused to accept it from him. The team had legitimate grounds -- Mr Naqvi is also the interior minister of Pakistan, besides being the head of the Pakistan Cricket Board. As an important minister, Mr Naqvi has frequently bad-mouthed India and been a very vocal anti-India politician. Now here comes the asli sawaal -- let’s announce a decision to not play Pakistan in future. That would effectively end the pathetic pantomime of being players without borders and prevent ugly scenes of ungentlemanly, unsportsmanlike conduct, watched by millions of shocked spectators. Cricket fans deserve better. Remember, cricket is not just a game. It is a religion. And with religion comes fanaticism, which in turn fuels hatred. Neither country needs more conflict at a time when the wounds are still festering.

India won. Fair and square. But Pakistan kept the trophy! And the team medals. Pakistan is no longer considered a “rival” on any level. Let’s not elevate Pakistan to that stature when the ground realities are radically different. No matter which cricketer makes crude gestures on the field, the truth of the matter cannot be challenged. By converting a bat into an AK-47, Sahibzada Farhan managed to grab eyeballs. And raise eyebrows! But the team still lost. Unfortunately, politics and cricket cannot be compartmentalised when it comes to India-Pakistan matches.

Players turn into gladiators, and the pitch is converted into a war zone. Absurd? Of course. But who can argue with irrational emotions at fever pitch? Were the Pakistani players specifically briefed to behave as they did? Conversely, were our boys instructed not to shake hands with the opposite team? Whose call was it to withhold the standard handshake and snub the Pakistani team? Bad call, mates. Either the organisers take a stand in advance and withdraw from a tournament on ethical, moral and/or political grounds, or play with a straight bat.

But then comes the question of money. Big money. Those who control the purse strings may be reluctant to take a stand and lose out on the big bucks. For this is what cricket has been turned into -- a Big Bazaar.

There’s much more at stake than national pride and honour. Throw in drama on the field and viewers get a spectacle. An unfiltered reality show with not one but many Bigg Bosses lurking in the background, gleefully watching the money roll in.

This is a good time to take a closer look at the powerful machine that manipulates cricket. A few of India’s star players have walked away recently, disgusted and disillusioned by the machinations of top officials who are not answerable to anybody. Their vindictive attitude and victimisation of certain players is an open secret. But nobody dares to name names or bell the cat. India has abundant talent, as is evident from Tilak Varma’s extraordinary story. Tilak is credited with taking India from crisis to victory during the last, tension-filled over. Tilak owes his success to one individual -- the eagle-eyed cricket coach named Salam Bayash, who spotted the 11-year-old at the Legala Cricket Academy in Lingampally, outside Hyderabad. The “T” in Tilak stands for temperament, gushed Bayash, after his “boy” video-called him from the ground on Sunday.

Cricket is replete with similar success stories which inspire youngsters to play and compete ferociously, given the chance. Imagine these same idealistic kids growing into young adults and encountering ugly skirmishes that sully the spirit of the game. It is being whispered that the Pakistani team was brainwashed and inadvertently became victims of a “Deep State” conspiracy. If true, it’s nothing less than a crime. But to expect India-Pakistan cricket to be divorced from politics is also wishful thinking. The atmosphere is far too vitiated. But a primer for the future is worth framing in the long-term interests of the game. There is enough hatred across the world, impacting the lives of innocents. Should cricket really be added to the boiling cauldron?

Stick to cricket, boys. Your job is to bring your best game to the field. Leave all the references to “Sindoor” and “Tilaks” to political leaders who capitalise on jingoism and word play to score political points. When you win, India wins. Baat khatam!

Dussehra is the feel-good period across India. Victory over Evil vaghera, vaghera. In Mumbai, Dussehra signals the end of Navratri, which means Dandiya sticks will be reluctantly put away till next year and Dandiya Queen Falguni Pathak will disappear … till she mysteriously reappears twelve months later, belting out dandiya beats like no other. This year, most of the dandiya celebrations got washed out by unseasonal rains, dampening the enthusiasm of young dancers, some of whom save through the year to create elaborate costumes for the nine

nights of revelry, swirling and twirling in anti-clockwise circles for hours. But wait, something snapped in 2025 -- bonhomie. Politics struck again, and groupism raised its ugly head. A few aggressive dancers arrived with bouncers and created barricades with dupattas to keep out “others”. Bullies ruled as “chunnis” turned into weapons of mass discrimination while gangs battled it out, shoving and pushing past burly bodyguards guarding the turf. Rowdies at the NESCO garba evening had a free run.

Mercifully, during our regular Ashtami aarti and darshan at the 96-year-old Tejpal Pujo Baari, it was far more civilised as aesthetically dressed, well-behaved bhadralok worshipped Ma Durga with fervour, enjoyed bhog, shopped for Tangails at the stalls, and melted away. No dhutis were used to create fences or exclusive enclaves for the privileged. Nor embroidered “panjabis” torn in an unholy melee.

On to the season of diyas and Diwali dhamakas -- bye bye dhaaks and dhols!