Published on, Sept. 15 -- September 15, 2025 12:49 AM

An India-Pakistan cricket match is usually billed as cricket's crown jewel. Sunday's Asia Cup match in Dubai was the first encounter since May, when cross-border tensions briefly turned into an unforgettable military exchange. In the lead-up, politics was everywhere. Indian politicians called for boycotts, effigies were burnt, and sections of the press demanded the fixture be scrapped. Those calls undoubtedly left a mark as the Dubai stadium, usually a cauldron of green and blue, had rows of empty seats. Even the captains' stiff body language at the toss-no handshake, no eye contact-captured the sour mood.

There was no Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli on India's side, no Babar Azam or Moh...