Dubai: The winner’s trophy was yet to reach the winners even as politics became the sole talking point a day after one of the most acrimonious Asia Cup finales, which was all about off-field hostilities between India and Pakistan, reducing cricket and its famed spirit of the game to a sidelight.
Suryakumar Yadav and his men held their nerves to win the nail-biting final by five wickets to complete a ninth title-winning campaign, remaining unbeaten through the past fortnight.
But that wasn’t the accomplishment which dictated the discourse although it fetched them a handsome Rs 21 crore prize fund from the BCCI.
The point of discussion, however, was the politics of it all as Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chief Mohsin Naqvi, also the Pakistan Cricket Board boss and the Interior Minister of his country, walked away with the winner’s trophy after the Indians refused to accept it from him.
The reason? His well-documented anti-India comments and the heightening political tensions between the two countries after 26 Indians were gunned down by Pakistan-backed terrorists in Pahalgam earlier this year.
India had retaliated with ‘Operation Sindoor’ and Naqvi was among the Pakistanis who mocked that action after the Indian team followed a ‘No Handshake Policy’ towards them during the entire tournament.
“I think this is one thing which I have never seen since I started playing and following cricket that a champion team is denied a trophy. I mean that too a hard-earned one. It’s not like it happened easily. It was a hard earned tournament win,” said Suryakumar, reflecting on how it felt being denied the biggest prize after winning seven consecutive games at the continental showpiece.
Suryakumar couldn’t be faulted for being at a loss of words. He had been at the centre of about 90 minutes of pure drama at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
His wife Devisha, head coach Gautam Gambhir’s wife and daughters were all on the ground after the triumph to celebrate with the trophy.
The team, however, was unwilling to head to the dais to collect it from Naqvi, who was waiting to exercise his right to hand over the winner’s trophy as ACC chair. He waited and so did the Indians, about 25 yards from him.
It is learnt that the BCCI had informed their ACC points-person that the team won’t take the award from Naqvi, who had posted cryptic videos of Cristiano Ronaldo’s plane crash goal celebration alluding to the Pakistani claims that six Indian jets were downed during ‘Operation Sindoor’.
“No one told us to do this,” said Suryakumar, insisting later that the call to boycott Naqvi was taken at the ground.
“India cannot take the trophy from the person who is waging a war against our country,” declared BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia in Mumbai.
As Naqvi got down from the podium due to India’s refusal and strode towards the exit gate, the ACC event staff, to everyone’s surprise, followed him with the trophy leaving the Indian camp flummoxed. It is learnt that the prized silverware is at the ACC headquarters here.
Saikia said that the Indian Board would be lodging a “very strong protest” against Naqvi during the upcoming ICC meeting in November.
“We have taken a decision not to accept the trophy but that does not allow the gentleman to take away the trophy and the medals to his hotel,” he said.
“This is unexpected, very childish in nature and we will launch a very strong protest with ICC in the forthcoming ICC meeting to be held in Dubai in the first week of November,” he added.
Naqvi has so far not commented on the events of last night but he did take time out to hit back at Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s congratulatory social media post for the Indian team. Modi had equated the win to the military operation in May and Naqvi said the analogy was against the spirit of the game.
SKY disrespected cricket: Salman Ali Agha
Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha didn’t hold back while criticising his Indian counterpart, describing his actions as disrespectful to the game.
“I don’t want to use harsh words but they’ve been very disrespectful,” he said in his post-match media interaction.
“He shook hands with me in private at the start of the tournament, both at the pre-tournament press conference, and when we met in the referee’s meeting. But when they’re out in the world in front of the cameras, they don’t shake our hands.
“I’m sure he’s following the instructions he’s been given, but if it was up to him, he’d shake hands with me,” he added.
Salman also tried to justify Naqvi’s decision to stand on the presentation dais before walking away with the trophy.
“Everything that happened today was a consequence of all that happened (before). Of course, the ACC president will give the trophy to the winners. If you won’t take the trophy from him, how will you get it?” he asked.
SKY donates match fee to forces, Pahalgam victims
India’s participation in the tournament had been heavily criticised in several quarters with some opposition politicians in India describing it as greed for revenue superseding national pride in the backdrop of ‘Operation Sindoor’.
That criticism has not died down despite India’s win but the captain did his bit to assuage some hurt sentiments.
He announced that he would be donating his Rs 28 lakh match fee from the tournament to the Indian armed forces and the families of Pahalgam victims.
