Don’t be too harsh on Harman

India’s refusal to shake hands with Pakistan reflects more broadly on a culture of polarisation around the world.

“You must understand, sir, that a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between. This is a sharp time, now, a precise time—we live no longer in the dusky afternoon when evil mixed itself with good and befuddled the world.”

The Crucible (1953) – Arthur Miller

Photo: Edgbaston Cricket Ground where the sides met in the Commonwealth Games in 2022 & will meet again at the 2026 T20 World Cup

Harmanpreet Kaur is a tough competitor and a fierce opponent. She famously did not hold back when she disagreed with the umpiring in a tied ODI against Bangladesh two years ago, actions for which she received a two match ban for breaching the ICC code of conduct. She smashed her own stumps after being given out, publicly criticised the umpiring at the post match interview and then led her side in mocking Bangladesh as they prepared for the joint trophy presentation, claiming that the umpires ought to join the Bangladesh team on the podium. She is a captain who thrives on confrontation and loves the psychological battle with her opponents.

So why the quotation from Arthur Miller? Just like in McCarthyist America of the 1950s in which Miller was writing, and the in the 1690s (the historical period of “The Crucible”, his play about the Salem witch trials, from which the quote is taken), we live in a time where nuance, moderation and thoughtful consideration of events have been replaced by the need to declare oneself either completely on one side or completely on the other. Any wavering, any doubt, any attempt to understand “the other” is taken not just as weakness, but as treachery, betrayal and results in cancellation and loss of reputation.

This works globally across the political, social and sporting spectrum: one’s view about Gaza, trans rights, Black Lives Matter, the flag of St George, the war in Ukraine, Donald Trump’s presidency, Nigel Farage, immigration, the European Union, the run out at the non-striker’s end, climate change, walking after you feathered a catch behind, vaccinations, conspiracy theories, Charlie Kirk, the legacy of Empire, ball tampering, the status of Kashmir. The list is endless. These are all issues in which we are now required to have a strong view. The trench we choose to sit in defines who our enemies are and any sense of nuance, compromise or ambivalence puts us firmly in no man’s land, being fired on by both sides.

And so, Harman and the India team were left in an impossible position. Clearly under instruction to demonstrate hatred and animosity towards their “enemies” (The Pakistan women’s cricket team), any wavering from this line, any small gesture of friendliness, any acknowledgement that these are people with whom you have lots in common and with whom you actually have a good relationship, would doubtless result in instant condemnation from Narendra Modi and hundreds of millions of other Indians. It would be seen as a betrayal. It would be the end of your career.

And so the game was played. India won, as they had done on all 11 previous occasions they had played Pakistan. There were no handshakes, although this was thankfully choreographed in a non-awkward way. A quasi-Biblical plague of gnats descended upon proceedings, a reminder that whatever our religion, ethnicity or politics, we all get bitten in the same way. However, Harman and the Indian team played a brilliant diplomatic game. They were no different against Pakistan than they would be against England or Australia – playing very hard, playing just about fair, vociferously celebrating every small win on the field, uncompromising, but not descending to gestures unrelated to cricket.

Sport and politics do mix. We are foolish to ever believe otherwise. Thankfully, they usually mix in a very positive way, enabling us to be educated about the lives of others, to understand and to build relationships with others and to celebrate the achievement of others. Not only does it strengthen our international understanding, it also strengthens our own national identity to have sporting competitions with other nations. Our moments of national unity in the UK usually relate to either big royal events (weddings, coronations, funerals) or big sporting events (World Cups, Olympics, Euros).

Sports fans of a certain age in the UK will remember that there was once a possibility in 1982, when England, Scotland or Northern Ireland could have played Argentina in the FIFA World Cup in Spain at exactly the same time as Britain was at war with Argentina in the Falkland Islands. The UK government at the time strongly considered withdrawing all three teams. The reason for not doing so was that the draw (which took place several months before the war started) meant that England could only possibly face Argentina in the final and Scotland could have only faced them if they qualified for the second round. The government judged (correctly) that both of these events seemed unlikely. (Sorry to any Scotland fans out there!)

It is also worth mentioning that the presence of very popular Argentine players in the English domestic football league at the time, particularly at Tottenham Hotspur, was a very helpful way for the general public to separate the idea of Argentina as an “enemy” from the idea of Argentinians as friends. This has paved the way for future generations of Argentinians to play sport in the UK very successfully, even though the status of the Falkland Islands remains a contentious issue.

So, we can be thankful that we have these big events and we can look forward to a time when India and Pakistan can once again shake hands and enjoy a normalisation of relationship on the cricket field. Nobody but the wildest of conspiracy theorists believes that Fatima Sana and her team are terrorists or are people who support the indiscriminate slaughter of innocent people. The next opportunity for relations to be reset will be Sunday 14^th June 2026 at Edgbaston, when India and Pakistan meet in the T20 World Cup. We wait to see how things may have changed by then.