Skipper Suryakumar Yadav snubs Pakistan the best possible way!

Now that Indians at large are being convinced, daily, it is impossible to avoid cricket with the rogue state of Pakistan, there is a great option: Beat them black and blue. For those who watched Suryakumar Yadav the captain and spinner Kuldeep Yadav bamboozle Pakistan in the Asia Cup contest on Sunday in Dubai, one thing is clear, Pakistan are not good at anything, cricket included.

For sure, nobody can stop Indian fans from lining up outside the stadium in Dubai to cheer the Men In Blue. There is anger, there is hurt and there is pain. Some fans/friends this writer spoke to in Dubai confessed they were going to cheer India as every sports contest against the lousy neighbours from across the border needs their vocal support. It is important for the expats, as they run into Pakistanis very regularly in different cities in the United Arab Emirates.

One man who has emerged as a leader of sorts, prominently, as captain of Team India is Suryakumar Yadav, who refused handshakes and hugs after the toss and after the conclusion of the match. It was a no-contest as the Pakistani batters were bamboozled by the Indian spinners where Kuldeep, Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy were in ominous form.

For sure, the Indian cricket team has been briefed well by the BCCI and other officials on how to treat Pakistan on the field and how to walk off minus the customary handshake and show of brotherhood. The more one watches India versus Pakistan cricket contests, the more it appears the losing team is almost certain. When a nation (Pakistan) is pursuing only one objective, promoting terror and reaching out to other nations with a begging bowl, it cannot go on forever. Nobody keeps lending and is willing to write it off each time. As a borrower, of massive volume, Pakistan has none to give them alms. And if they were expecting the Team India members to be friendly with them, no way it was going to happen.

Indeed, just as one former Pakistan hockey coach, Shahnaz Shaikh  confessed to this writer in 2010 at the Gaungzhou Asian Games, their hockey would be finished, the prediction has come true. Likewise, in cricket, Pakistan, a side which emerged triumphant under Imran Khan’s charismatic leadership in 1992 in Australia in the ODI World Cup, have collapsed. Reasons for it are clear, their cricket structure is pathetic and the league they run – PSL – is dubious. There are shortened boundaries, there is no quality and players who compete in it are average. It does not hold the same charm and standard as what India offers through the IPL – Indian Premier League.

Back to SKY, as Suryakumar Yadav is addressed, he is returning to cricket after a break, following a surgery for hernia in the United Kingdom. That he is in good health is a good sign, as he is expected to lead in the ICC T20 World Cup next year. One more point, Surya as T20 captain is mature and knows, there is no need for hyperbole when he speaks.

It resonated, when he said, this win was for a reason. “Our government and the BCCI were aligned. Together, we came here just  to play the game. And we gave a proper reply,” said Surya at the mandatory press conference.

Before this as well at the awards presentation, Surya spoke with true patriotism. “We stand with the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack. And we stand with their families also, express our solidarity. We dedicate this win to our brave Armed Forces who took part in Operation Sindoor. And as they continue to inspire us, we will try our best whenever given an opportunity to inspire them as well, if possible,” said Suryakumar Yadav.

What Pakistan did was not important, as skipper Salman Ali Agha was absent from the press conference, after the snub from Surya. Having been thrashed by India, at least Salman was not as shameless as the Pakistan Defence Chief, Asif Munir, a four-star General. Munir was showing up in public space as if the Pakistan Air Force bases had not been hammered by Indian fighter jets and missiles. For the record, it is now established the Pakistan Air Force lost fighter jets to India during Operation Sindoor. The cricket show from Pakistan was even more impotent.

Jai Hind.