By News18,Rahul Shivshankar

Copyright news18

We’re being told by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that the Indian team’s decision to refuse to shake hands with Pakistan players is a massive moral rebuke. A gesture that conveys the disapproval of a nation.
The BCCI is hoping to redeem its reputation through this snub. Let’s be clear: Team India’s “handshake snub” cannot whitewash the BCCI’s original sin. And that, very simply, is having normalised Pakistan-sponsored terror by playing against Pakistan.
The BCCI and its backers in the NDA government argue that the board had no option. Not playing Pakistan in a multilateral tournament would have meant that Team India would be disqualified from the Asia Cup under International Cricket Council rules. But this is humbug.
If the BCCI desires, it can ensure that Pakistan is turfed out of the ICC. In 1970, the ICC’s non-white members, particularly India, protested loudly against the discrimination their own diaspora faced in South Africa. State-sponsored racism, also known as apartheid, was unacceptable. Under pressure, the ICC banned South Africa from participating in international tournaments. Incidentally, for its belligerence against Ukraine in Europe, Russia was turfed out of the Olympics last year by the International Olympics Committee after a majority of nations pressured the governing body.
Today, the BCCI is a hundred times more powerful within world cricket that it was in 1970. It generates the largest share of revenue for the ICC. Without the BCCI, world cricket and the ICC would be arguably on a ventilator, gasping for survival. Former BCCI chief Jay Shah is the current Chairperson of the ICC. So why isn’t the BCCI using its muscle to push Pakistan out?
The answer is money. The India-Pakistan rivalry drives viewership. Viewership guarantees TV ad revenues: the real money-spinner.
The BCCI believes we will overlook all of this just because it posts a message dedicating victory to our Armed Forces. But this too is nothing more than virtue signalling.
If the BCCI is truly committed to the welfare of our Armed Forces, it could begin by walking the talk. How about donating every single paisa earned from the Asia Cup to the military? The BCCI could also host Team India Military Appreciation Nights, offering free or discounted tickets, in-game tributes, and veteran recognition. It could even organise, like the Baseball league does in the U.S a ‘Welcome Back Veterans’ programme to fund mental health support, post-retirement job training, and transition assistance.
As things stand, the BCCI and its government backers have not only normalised Pakistan-sponsored terror, but also contributed crores to Islamabad’s coffers. That is money which will be used to fund attacks in India against our military.
No “handshake snub” or platitudinous tribute will absolve the BCCI of the blood it will have on its hands when terror strikes again.