India and Pakistan are not worth the pitch they bat and bowl on when playing cricket in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. There was a time when Sharjah also used to pitch for India-Pakistan cricket fixtures with sunglasses sporting Dawood Ibrahim watching from the stands. Those pictures exist but Dawood can't be spotted cause he's become a permanent fixture in Karachi's elite residential area, we're told by sources in India's toothless intelligence agencies.

Indian NSA Ajit Doval, the story goes, lived clandestinely in Lahore for at least a decade, undercover and yet India's top spy never could set an eye on Dawood, forget both eyes. Dawood continues to evade and elude the so-called "unknown men". But recent India-Pakistan antics in Dubai perpetrated by the cricketing icons of both countries remind us of the disciplined cricketing spectacles of those Sharjah days.

The other night the Indian team beat Pakistan comprehensively in the Asia Cup final but was deprived of the "crown jewels", India ought to have had possession of once Pakistan was trounced, which it was. But then whoever thought Pakistan cricket boss Mohsin Naqvi would take the silverware and flee the pitch 'cause he had to make a pitch of his own.

India beat Pakistan by a run or two and among those who reacted first was Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his comment picked up Pakistanis on 'X' and relayed with a laugh and a sneer, "Ah! Look at this 'Moodi', can't forget Operation Sindoor." Of course, 'Moodi' did not forget Operation Sindoor'. He reminded Pakistan how Pakistan lost both the war and the trophy, same-same at the nine air bases India bombed and same-same at Dubai.

Prime Minister Modi is a great one with reminders. Rinku Singh struck for India the winning runs. And we're told India won the Asia Cup for the ninth time. Shame-shame Pakistan. But where's the trophy? The Indian team had to return to its hotel without the trophy because MohsinNaqvi took the silverware.

Rinku Singh could not get his hands on the Asia Cup. And the drama was not over. This was a tournament jinxed. Endless controversy and theatrics only India and Pakistan is capable of. First, should India even play Pakistan? Especially, when Operation Sindoor is only paused and not over. 'Moodi', as Pakistanis call him, is nowhere less than Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif in theatrics; put the two in a pod and they'll be unrecognizable as different.

Prime Minister Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah chose India should play the Asia Cup and play Pakistan, to hell with Pahalgam and to heaven with Operation Asia Cup. Prime Minister Modi decided for "one last ditch of madness" and now the victorious Indian team cannot even kiss goodbye to the trophy despite being triumphant. There was no sign of the post-match presentation ceremony.

All that could be heard was the buzz, Mohsin Naqvi had run off with the Asia Cup. The BCCI was livid but impotent in the face of the potent Pakistanis. September 28 transitioned to September 29 and yet no trophy to kiss! Skipper SKY should have shaken hands with Mohsin Naqvi and not let Mohsin get the satisfaction of robbing India of a well-deserved victory.

India beat Pakistan hands down in the '4-day War' but Pakistan is continued to claim victory, gesturing 6-0 with hands and fingers in Dubai, and here India has also won the Asia Cup and the Pakistanis have run off with the spoils of cricket, the Asia Cup. To paraphrase, same-same in war and same-same in the Asia Cup, twice out-manoeuvred?

India did not want to accept the trophy from ACC chief Mohsin Naqvi. Or, was it the obnoxious gestures of the Pakistan team? The Arabs, who were watching everything, would know. Things were going smoothly as planned. Indian players were overjoyed. They even spoke to the broadcasters. Wasim Akram and Ravi Shastri were holding forth. Winning captain Suryakumar Yadav was ready for the trophy.

But instead came the distasteful act. India ended the night empty-handed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not see this coming.

Without the trophy, there was no point hanging around. The presenter, Simon Doull, said, "The ACC has informed us that India will not be collecting their trophy tonight." ACC and Pakistan Cricket Board chief Naqvi left the stadium with the trophy. Loud boos were heard. Pakistan players were in flip-flops. India never wanted to collect the trophy from Naqvi. Perhaps Prime Minister Modi did not want SKY to collect the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, the ACC president as also the interior minister of Pakistan. (IPA Service)