The Asia Cup has never been straightforward. Scheduled every two years, it often slips away — undone by border tensions and government quarrels. This year, despite tensions between India and Pakistan, the tournament managed to be held.
The young Indian team, missing the usual veterans, went unbeaten. Pakistan made the final a nail-biting contest: a reminder of why this rivalry endures and is eagerly awaited by people of two countries that were once one.
Sadly, the clashes between these famed rivals were overshadowed by fighter-plane gestures and snubbed handshakes. India lifted nothing but an imaginary trophy. They had won every match but refused the silverware from the Pakistani head of the Asian Cricket Council.

Why do the shadows of politics so often creep onto a field made for sport?

To make sense of this, we turn to KC Vijaya Kumar, Sports Editor of The Hindu, who has spent decades tracing this much-cherished rivalry on the pitch and behind the scenes.

Guest: KC Vijaya Kumar, Sports Editor, The Hindu

Host: Anupama Chandrasekaran

Edited and produced by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian

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