(Image source from: AP)
The Indian cricket team chose not to accept the Asia Cup trophy during the award ceremony, which was delayed for over an hour after they triumphed over Pakistan by five wickets in the final on Sunday in Dubai. They took this stand because the trophy was going to be handed over by Mohsin Naqvi, who is the president of the Asian Cricket Council, the chairman of the PCB, and also the Interior Minister of Pakistan. "We have made the choice not to accept the Asia Cup trophy from the chairman of the ACC, who is one of the key officials in Pakistan," said BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia to ANI. "Therefore, we decided to refuse it from him. However, this does not suggest that he will keep the trophy and medals for himself. It is quite unfortunate, and we hope that the trophy and the medals will be sent back to India very soon."
"There is an ICC meeting coming up in November in Dubai. During that meeting, we will be lodging a serious and strong protest against what the ACC chairperson has done." The match concluded around 10:30 pm Dubai time with an exciting finish in the last over, but the presentation ceremony was delayed until nearly midnight. It was unclear at first what was causing the hold-up, but people suspected it was because the Indian team didn't want to receive the trophy from Naqvi. A statement on the organization's website from Saturday mentioned that Naqvi planned to present the trophy to the winners. When the awards ceremony finally started, Kuldeep Yadav, Abhishek Sharma, and Tilak Varma received their individual honors from other officials on stage, and Pakistan's captain Salman Agha accepted the second-place check from Naqvi, which marked the end of the ceremony.
"According to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), the Indian cricket team will not be accepting their awards tonight," said Simon Doull, the host broadcaster's presenter, during the ceremony. "That wraps up the post-match presentation." During the press conference following the ceremony, India's captain Suryakumar Yadav mentioned he had never witnessed anything like it. "This is something I have never encountered since I began playing and following cricket, where a champion team is denied a trophy that they worked so hard for. I believe we deserved it. I don't have much more to add; I've summed it up well. When it comes to trophies, my real trophies are with the 14 players in the dressing room, along with the support staff. They represent the true achievements throughout this journey in the Asia Cup."
Suryakumar mentioned that the squad decided not to accept the trophy and clarified that "nobody asked us to do that." After the match ended, the players from Pakistan exited the field toward their dressing room, while the Indian players remained on the ground. There was a delay in setting up the presentation stage. Eventually, Naqvi arrived and engaged in lively conversations with the officials on site as the crowd began to disperse, although many Indian fans stayed. After almost an hour, the stage was finally prepared, and Naqvi along with other important guests took their positions. An official then took the Asia Cup trophy from a raised platform and left the area with it without providing any reason. The Pakistan team then appeared as the ceremony led by Doull started.
The Indian players, who were there to receive their personal awards, approached the stage where Naqvi was, but they did not greet him and accepted their awards from different officials instead. Naqvi did not cheer for the Indian players when they came up for their awards. The players from Pakistan then came to collect their runner-up medals, with captain Agha receiving the cheque and posing for a photo with Naqvi. After Doull finished the post-match interviews, the dignitaries exited the stage. The Indian team and their officials then took their spots on the podium and celebrated their win. Without a real trophy present, Suryakumar and his teammates raised their hands as if holding an imaginary trophy as part of their celebration.
India's decision to decline a trophy from Naqvi was anticipated long before. They had avoided shaking hands with Pakistan during any of the three matches in this tournament, whether it was at the toss or after the games. While Pakistan’s coach Mike Hesson and captain Agha criticized India’s actions, India did not change its approach. Tensions escalated, particularly in the second match of the Super Fours, leading to multiple verbal exchanges between the teams. Suryakumar received a fine for comments made after the first match, while Haris Rauf was fined for his behavior in the second match.
