So, India did not boycott Pakistan. Shocking, isn’t it? After weeks of TV anchors foaming at the mouth, hashtags trending like monsoon floods, and boycott warriors demanding blood instead of bat, Suryakumar Yadav’s men quietly walked onto the ground in Dubai, played their cricket, and handed Pakistan a thrashing that will sting longer than any diplomatic note.
And guess what? That was India’s real, ongoing Operation Sindoor — begun by our brave armed forces, carried forward on the cricket pitch. A response that was neither meek surrender nor cheap grandstanding, but a calculated act of sporting vengeance for the Pakistan-sponsored terrorists who brutally killed 26 innocent tourists in Pahalgam. Instead of sulking in boycott-mode, Team India chose to serve poetic justice — with bat and ball as their chosen weapons.
Let’s be honest. Like many patriots, I too was torn. Should we play them at all? The heart said “No!” but the head whispered “Think ICC rules, think global isolation.” Even BCCI’s acting president Rakesh Shukla — yes, the Congressman himself — wouldn’t have dared greenlight this without a quiet nod from Prime Minister Modi’s government. And here lies the beauty: Modi’s stoic silence, that masterstroke of timing, left critics stranded. After all, who can out-patriot the Prime Minister? If he doesn’t object, who are we to hyperventilate?
And what a decision it proved to be! India didn’t just play Pakistan; they dismantled them. Seven wickets, clinical precision like our armed forces’ missiles, and the sweetest insult of all: no handshakes before or after the match. Picture it — Pakistan’s players queuing politely, waiting for a handshake, while Suryakumar Yadav sends the winning six sailing into the stands. Now that’s a sporting surgical strike.
The victory itself was lopsided, almost cruel. Kuldeep Yadav spun webs around bewildered batsmen, Axar Patel bowled like a disciplined soldier on sentry duty, and Varun Chakaravarthy chipped in as if to remind Pakistan that India’s spin factory runs 24/7. Numbers tell the story: 3/18, 2/18, 1/24. Pakistan’s batsmen might as well have been facing BrahMos missiles instead of spinners.
And the atmosphere? Electric. In a Dubai stadium packed 85% with tricolour-waving Indians, it felt less like a neutral venue and more like a home game. Every wicket fell to roars that shook the desert sands, every Indian run cheered as if it were a fresh DRDO launch. Pakistan didn’t just lose a cricket match; they walked straight into a festival of humiliation.
But let’s not miss the bigger point. Playing Pakistan wasn’t a betrayal of national sentiment. On the contrary, it was the boldest tribute possible. Boycotts only let Pakistan hide behind victimhood. But to face them, beat them comprehensively, and remind the world that Indian cricket bows neither to terror nor to pressure — that’s patriotism with spine.
So yes, critics may whine, hashtags may rage, and politicians may posture. But history will record this: India chose the tougher path, resisted the easy applause of boycotts, and instead delivered a cricketing blow that resonates louder than any slogan.
Well done, India. Your tribute — to the victims of terror, to the bravery of our armed forces, and to the pride of a billion people — will not be forgotten. And to Pakistan? Thank you for showing up. Without you, who else could we have humbled so poetically? (The author is a former Hyderabad Ranji player)
