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Players From India, Pakistan Under One Roof: How Oman, Hong Kong Are Breaking Stereotypes

Jatin

Oman and Hong Kong teams [Source: @TheOmanCricket, CricketHK/x.com]Oman and Hong Kong teams [Source: @TheOmanCricket, CricketHK/x.com]

Over the years, the India vs Pakistan rivalry has been defined by noise, deafening crowds, crackling tension and intense moments. Yet at the Asia Cup 2025 clash in Dubai on Sunday, silence became the loudest sound of the night.

Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav had just slog-swept Sufiyan Muqeem into the stands to wrap up a seven-wicket win. The Indian dugout erupted, the tricolour fluttered in the stands but what followed was eerie: no handshakes and no acknowledgement between captains. The match had begun this way, too with no greetings at the toss.

It wasn’t hard to see why. This was the first meeting between the two sides since the Pahalgam terror attack in April, which had been followed by Operation Sindoor: airstrikes, retaliations and days when cricket felt like an afterthought. Even in victory, India didn’t reach out. Even in defeat, Pakistan didn’t linger.

And yet, just a few doors away in the same tournament, two other teams are quietly dismantling a stereotype the size of a boundary rope.

Oman’s Multicoloured Mosaic

Oman’s squad sheet reads like a subcontinental atlas. Jatinder Singh from Ludhiana, Samay Shrivastava from Bhopal, Aamir Kaleem from Karachi, Mohammad Nadeem from Sialkot. Indian-born and Pakistani-born cricketers pulling on the same red jersey and chasing the same dream.

For decades, Indian and Pakistani cricketers have been cast as natural rivals, forced to carry the weight of geopolitics on their shoulders every time they take guard. But Oman’s dressing room has no space for that baggage. Their only currency is skill and their only allegiance is to the Omani crest.

In a tournament drowning in noise, their quiet defiance stands out. They are proving that heritage can be diverse and still harmonious; that a team can be stitched from different flags and still fly as one.

Hong Kong’s Patchwork Power

Hong Kong have long embraced this mix of borders. Look at their Asia Cup core: Nizakat Khan from Attock, Babar Hayat from the same province, Yasim Murtaza from Sialkot, flanked by Anshuman Rath whose parents are from Odisha and Kinchit Shah whose family hails from Mumbai.

They have been doing what seems unthinkable to many, fielding Pakistan-born and India-rooted players in the same XI without it ever being a headline. For them, the only divide that matters is between bat and ball, not borders.

Cricket Without Borders

Fans have watched this game shape and shatter narratives for years but this is something that feels most refreshing. At a time when India and Pakistan can’t even meet eyes, Oman and Hong Kong are quietly showing that cricket can still be bigger than politics.

They aren’t trying to make statements. They aren’t draped in symbolism. They are simply playing and in doing so, proving that unity can exist without uniformity.

The Real Story Of This Asia Cup

When the tournament concludes, this Asia Cup will be remembered for the tense India–Pakistan clash in Dubai, for the stares, the silence and the snubbed handshakes. But look a little closer and you will see the real revolution happening quietly in the Oman and Hong Kong dugouts.

While the giants spar, these two sides are breaking one of cricket’s oldest stereotypes without even trying. They have shown that national origins can be varied but the love for the game can be singular. And maybe, just maybe, that is the most powerful statement of all.