BCCI Devajit Saikia strongly condemned ACC chief Mohsin Naqvi’s “unsportsmanlike” act of walking away with the Asia Cup trophy and medals.
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BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia Slams ACC Chief Mohsin Naqvi Over Trophy Controversy
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia strongly criticised Asian Cricket Council chief Mohsin Naqvi after he took the Asia Cup trophy despite India winning the title. Suryakumar Yadav and his team fought hard to overcome arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday, but the victorious side was ultimately denied the trophy.
During the tense India–Pakistan clash, India refused the customary handshake with their rivals and chose not to accept the trophy from Naqvi, who also serves as PCB chief and a minister in Pakistan. Known for his vocal anti-India stance, Naqvi’s presence was firmly rejected by the Men in Blue throughout the tournament.
Speaking to ANI, Saikia condemned Naqvi’s actions and explained India’s position: “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.”
“BCCI to launch a very serious protest against ACC chief Mohsin Naqvi”
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia didn’t hold back in condemning ACC chief Mohsin Naqvi’s “unsportsmanlike” act of walking away with the Asia Cup 2025 trophy and medals.
“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 said.
On the field, Tilak Varma emerged as the hero of India’s hard-fought win, stabilising the chase with an unbeaten 69 off 53 balls as wickets tumbled at the other end. Rinku Singh sealed the victory with a boundary off his first ball, ensuring India chased down the 147-run target in Dubai to lift their record-extending ninth Asia Cup title.