evidence: In the epic 2019 world cup final between England and New Zealand, I began by wanting the underdogs, the Kiwis, to win. But by the end, I didn’t begrudge England, and even though the tie was decided in farcical manner over boundaries struck, that England comprehensively beat New Zealand in the group stages justified the eventual outcome for me. Like most other non-complete bastards, I have a soft spot for an underdog: in sports, politics, life in general. The Indian cricket team in the 90s (AKA whipping boys inc.) were easy to like: stylish, occasional winners, predictably unpredictable, and led by the best batsman in the world. The team’s rise coincided with India’s increasing neoliberal ‘development’. Tendulkar’s career (1989–2013) spanned over four decades of rampant economic growth, as well as increasing social and wealth inequality. After Tendulkar retired, Narendra Modi — a politician once blacklisted by G8 world leaders owing to his part in enflaming religious based violence against Muslims in the Ahmedabad atrocities in 2002 — was elected in 2014 as Prime Minister through leading his right wing Bharat Janata Party (BJP) to election victory.