Asia Cup champions India on Sunday refused to accept the winners’ trophy from ACC chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who also happens to be Pakistan’s interior minister and chairman of the country’s cricket board.As Naqvi stood on one side for the presentation ceremony to begin, Indian players were standing within 15 yards, refusing to budge from their places and the formalities were being inordinately delayed.It was learnt that the Indian team management asked who was supposed to present the winners’ trophy and ACC went into a huddle knowing that their boss wasn’t an acceptable name for the champions.
Once Naqvi took the presentation stage, Indian fans in the stands started booing collectively with chants of “Bharat Maata Ki Jai”.
Once Naqvi took the dais, he was informed that Indian team won’t accept the trophy if he tries to force himself and an official protest would be lodged. As Naqvi waited, suddenly, someone from organisers took the trophy inside the dressing room.Having not shaken hands with Pakistani players throughout the three Asia Cup games and also avoided the customary pre-toss photoshoot, the Indian team had sent the message to ACC that it won’t accept the trophy from the ACC chairman.In another dramatic development, the Pakistani players didn’t emerge out of the dressing room even after an hour since the match had ended with only their chairman 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”.It was a foregone conclusion that India won’t accept the trophy from Naqvi, who had posted cryptic videos of Cristiano Ronaldo’s plane crash gesture celebrations which is a direct reference to the Pakistani claims that six Indian jets were downed during ‘Operation Sindoor’.Naqvi is also behind demanding that ICC charge Surya with a Level 4 offence for standing by the Indian Army and showing solidarity with victims of Pahalgam terror attack.
