India were kept waiting for about an hour to lift the Asia Cup trophy as there was a delay in the presentation ceremony. As reported by PTI after the match, the Indian team had refused to accept the winners’ trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chairman and Pakistan minister Mohsin Naqvi. That was ultimately held true as Team India did not collect the trophy at all from the presentation ceremony. “I’ve been informed by the ACC that the Indian team won’t be collecting their awards tonight. So that is the end of this presentation,” presenter Simon Doull said. Only Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma and Kuldeep Yadav collected their individual awards but India as a team did not go up to the dias to collect or pose with the trophy.
Later, the Indian players were seen sitting on the empty podium without the trophy as they posed for photographs.
There was a lot of drama before the ceremony as well when the Pakistani players didn’t emerge out of the dressing room even after an hour since the match had ended with only their chairman Naqvi stranded and embarrassed, wanting to do the honours as per continental body’s protocol. After nearly 55 minutes, Salman Agha and his teammates emerged out and were greeted with shouts of “Indiaaaa, Indiaaaaa”.
India beat Pakistan by five wickets to clinch the Asia Cup, and it was their ninth title overall in the tournament. Speculations were rife in the the build-up to the final that Indian players might not accept the trophy, if they win, from Naqvi, who is also the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, an interior minister of his country, and also known for his anti-India stance.
As the head of the continental body, he was well within his rights to present the trophy and also engage in a customary handshake with both squads, but the Indian team preferred to maintain its ‘no handshake’ and no off-field engagement policy with anyone from Pakistan.
Naqvi has twice posted a cryptic video message on ‘X’ in the past few days — a Cristiano Ronaldo goal celebration depicting a plane crash, the same gesture that controversial pacer Haris Rauf made repeatedly during the Super 4s game against India on September 21, leading to a fine on him.
(with agency inputs)
