Calling it “the best sight in sport in recent times,” former Indian hockey captain Vasudevan Bhaskaran lauded the under-21 India and Pakistan hockey players for exchanging high-fives ahead of their Sultan of Johor Cup clash in Malaysia on Tuesday, a sharp contrast to the cold shoulder witnessed in cricket recently.

In videos that have gone viral, young players from both teams are seen cheerfully greeting one another, sharing smiles and high-fives before push-off, a refreshing celebration of sporting spirit at a time when a simple handshake has become contentious in cricket.

“It was heartwarming to see our junior hockey boys displaying such pure sportsmanship,” said Bhaskaran, India’s last Olympic gold-winning captain from the 1980 Moscow Games. “While cricketers are failing to uphold basic gestures of respect, these youngsters have shown how it’s done. I’m proud of them.”

Also read: India beat Great Britain in Sultan of Johor Cup

The match itself ended 3-3, but for many, the pre-match camaraderie was the real highlight.

Bhaskaran didn’t hold back on cricket’s recent controversies. “It’s pathetic when elite cricketers don’t understand the spirit of sport. Why is it that Sunil Gavaskar and Wasim Akram can sit together and share laughs in a commentary box, but current players can’t even exchange pleasantries on the field?” he questioned while speaking to News Arena India on Wednesday.

He further pointed to global examples of respect beyond rivalry. “Look at Neeraj Chopra and Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem — they competed fiercely, yet embraced with dignity at the World Championships and Olympics. That’s sport at its finest.”

Bhaskaran believes sport must rise above posturing. “Olympics is far bigger— and yet athletes from rival nations show mutual respect. When will cricket catch up?”

With junior hockey players now setting the benchmark, the billion-dollar question across Indian sport remains: If teenagers can uphold the spirit of the game, what’s stopping the superstars?

By Joe Williams