BCCI protests as ACC chief Mohsin Naqvi takes Asia Cup trophy after India refuses to accept it over political tensions. Photo: X.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has launched a strong protest after Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chief Mohsin Naqvi walked away with the Asia Cup trophy despite India’s title-clinching win over Pakistan on Sunday. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia accused Naqvi, who is also the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief and a minister in Pakistan, of taking the trophy and medals to his hotel room after the Indian team refused to accept the silverware from him.
“India is fighting a war with a country, and a leader belonging to that country was supposed to hand over the trophy to us,” Saikia told ANI.
“We cannot accept a trophy from a person who represents a country that is waging a war against our country. So we have refused to take that trophy, but that does not mean that the gentleman will take the trophy and the medals, which are to be given to our country, to his own hotel room. That is totally unexpected, and we hope that his good sense will prevail. We are going to lodge a very strong protest against the behaviour of the gentleman in today’s prize distribution ceremony.”
In a charged atmosphere that followed another fiery India-Pakistan clash, Suryakumar Yadav’s side not only refused the customary post-match handshake with their rivals but also declined to receive the trophy from Naqvi. Saikia said the decision was a matter of principle, given Naqvi’s political position and outspoken anti-India stance.
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“We have decided not to take the Asia Cup 2025 trophy from the ACC chairman, who happens to be one of the main leaders of Pakistan. So we decided not to take it from him. But that does not mean that the gentleman will take away the trophy with him, along with the medals. So it is very unfortunate and unsportsmanlike, and we hope that the trophy and the medals will be returned to India as soon as possible,” Saikia added.
On the field, India showcased resilience in a tense chase of 147 runs at Dubai. Tilak Varma anchored the innings with a composed, unbeaten 69 off 53 balls, steadying the side as wickets kept falling. Rinku Singh sealed the victory with a boundary, ensuring a memorable win over arch-rivals Pakistan.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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