Nations have long sought to launder their unsavoury reputations by sponsoring sporting contests with global appeal. Such cunning is probably close to the mind of India’s strongman prime minister, Narendra Modi. His re-election campaign will in effect be launched this week, when India, the hosts of the cricket World Cup, take on arch-rivals Pakistan. With home advantage, India are favourites to win the tournament. If the team are crowned one-day world cricket champions this year, Mr Modi may be tempted to call an early poll to capitalise on the celebratory fervour.
Under Mr Modi, India has seen increasing violence against religious minorities and the criminalisation of dissent. But no cricketing nation wants to offend New Delhi. The country’s cricket governing body dominates global decision-making and is run by Modi loyalists. When its cricket team refused to travel to Pakistan last year, the matches were moved to Sri Lanka. The Indian Premier League, featuring a TV-friendly three‑hour version of cricket, is the world’s second‑most lucrative sport. The ruthless advance of commercial interests seems like progress in one sense but decadence in another.
