India refuse Asia Cup trophy from ACC chief Mohsin Naqvi

Bangla Press Desk:Asia Cup champions India declined to receive the winners’ trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chairman Mohsin Naqvi, also Pakistan’s Interior Minister and cricket board chief, following their triumph on Sunday.

However, India skipper Surya Kumar Yadav later claimed in the post-match press conference that his team were denied the trophy.

'This is one thing that I have never seen a winning team denied of trophy,' he said.

According to a PTI report, Indian players stood aside during the presentation ceremony, delaying proceedings for nearly an hour. The team management had questioned who would present the trophy, and once informed that it was Naqvi, they conveyed their refusal.

"I have been informed by the ACC that the Indian cricket team will not be collecting their awards tonight," presenter Simon Doull said. "So that does conclude the post-match presentation."

When Naqvi eventually took the stage, Indian fans booed loudly and chanted “Bharat Mata Ki Jai.” Organisers later moved the trophy directly into India’s dressing room, bypassing the ceremony altogether.

Having neither shaken hands with Pakistani players throughout the three Asia Cup games nor participated in the customary pre-toss photoshoots, the Indian team had already signalled to the ACC that it would not accept the trophy from the ACC chairman.

In another dramatic development, the Pakistani players did not emerge from the dressing room even an hour after the match had ended, leaving only their chairman stranded and embarrassed, wanting to perform the honours as per the continental body's protocol.

After nearly 55 minutes, Salman Agha and his teammates finally emerged and were greeted with loud chants of "Indiaaaa, Indiaaaa."

It had become a foregone conclusion that India would not accept the trophy from Naqvi, who had previously posted cryptic videos referencing Cristiano Ronaldo's "plane crash" celebration - widely interpreted as a reference to Pakistani claims that six Indian jets were downed during 'Operation Sindoor'. This article was originally published on Daily Sun. 

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