A diplomatic sixer

India's victory in the ICC Champions Trophy in Dubai this month was reason enough for massive celebrations.

That is but natural in our cricket crazy nation. But this particular success is being seen by many as something far beyond a sporting triumph.

For more than a decade, India has refused to have bilateral sporting ties with Pakistan, only agreeing to play them in multilateral tournaments at neutral venues. But this time Pakistan was the sole host of the championship. Nonetheless, India stuck to its stand and got its way. Playing and winning all its matches in Dubai, including against Pakistan, India caused the final itself to be held outside the host country. Social media is awash with memes projecting this as also a diplomatic coup, one that showcases a resurgent Bharat's growing soft power and clout. There is much to unpack from this inference, which is accurate but simplifies a complex back story.