The BRICS TimesBCCI secretary Devajit Saikia lashed out at ACC president Mohsin Naqvi, accusing him of snatching away the Asia Cup trophy and medals after India’s title win.
India wins thriller but trophy goes missing
India clinched a nail-biting Asia Cup final against arch-rivals Pakistan in Dubai, powered by Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 69 and a cool finish from Rinku Singh. But celebrations took an ugly turn when ACC chief and Pakistan minister Mohsin Naqvi walked off with the winner’s trophy and medals.
The Men in Blue, led by Suryakumar Yadav, had already refused a customary handshake with Pakistan and decided not to receive the trophy from Naqvi. Known for his harsh anti-India stance, Naqvi’s presence in the post-match ceremony sparked a major controversy.
BCCI secretary blasts Naqvi’s behaviour
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia did not mince words when he slammed Naqvi’s actions during the presentation ceremony. He revealed why India refused to take the trophy and confirmed that a formal protest would follow.
“India is fighting a war with a country, and a leader belonging to that country was supposed to hand over the trophy to us…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,” Saikia told ANI.
“Unfortunate and unsportsmanlike” says BCCI
Saikia described the incident as “very unfortunate and unsportsmanlike.” He added that India’s decision not to accept the trophy from Naqvi did not give the official the right to walk away with the silverware.
“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 remarked.
Tilak Varma and Rinku Singh seal victory
While the controversy raged off the field, Tilak Varma emerged as India’s match-winner. His gritty 69 from 53 balls steadied the innings after wickets fell at regular intervals. At the end, debutant Rinku Singh smashed a boundary off his very first ball in the Asia Cup, sealing the win for India in dramatic style.
