The men in blue have scored a win for South Block. The new president of Maldives, Ibrahim Mohammed Solih, is a cricket fan. He even flew down to watch an IPL match. And now, South Block is hoping to capitalise on his cricket mania to build deeper ties. On the cards is training for its fledgling cricket team.
The top brass of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), including Saba Karim, general manager, operations, is likely to travel to the island nation with the fielding coach of India A team, Abhay Sharma, to get an idea of what their team will need.
This is not the first time that India has called upon cricketing expertise to help bolster its neighbourhood ties. In the past, Nepal has benefitted from India's willow warmth. However, it is Rashid Khan who has been India's secret weapon. The twenty-year-old star Afghanistan leg spinner has probably been the best goodwill ambassador India could have asked for. One of the best leg spinners in the T20 format, Rashid has become an asset. Every visiting Afghan dignitary makes it a point to thank India for him. And now everyone wants one.
Solih certainly hopes India can help create the next Rashid Khan. Cricket crazy, Solih was gifted jerseys by Virat Kohli and M.S. Dhoni when he went to watch the match in Bengaluru. It is here that he was pitched what could be done with Maldives cricket.
India's relationship with Maldives has been less than perfect over the last few years. The elections and the new government under Solih have offered India another chance. This time around, India is hoping to play the game differently. The promise of a cricket stadium and the cricketing coaching is part of this changing approach.
Big brother is out, welcome kind brother. India has learnt lessons from its Afghanistan policy and will go all out to win hearts and minds. The focus of the relationship will be people centric. Projects chosen and implemented—from the cricket stadium to metro projects and health care, especially in the SAGAR countries—will be to build bridges and not just infrastructure. In Maldives alone, India has pledged 1.4 billion dollars as budget support, line of credit for development. The idea is not to outspend China, but to ensure that what India lacks in spending power, it makes up with the power of friendship.
But beyond just stronger ties, India is also making it clear to the Maldives what the red lines are. Unlike in the past—and after much feedback from the neighbours—India has decided to be clear about what it expects from its friends. So, there is clarity. This change seems to have come around November, with the new government. Unlike in the past, India doesn't want to be caught off guard. But for now, it has scored a boundary.
