The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed that the Asia Cup trophies will arrive in the country soon; however, he refrained from providing a timeline. Both the Indian men’s and women’s teams refused to accept the silverware from Mohsin Naqvi, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President, and, as a result, the trophies for both editions of the tournament currently remain at the ACC’s headquarters in Dubai.
Last week, India, under the leadership of Harmanpreet Kaur, did not show up at the presentation ceremony after winning the Women’s T20 Asia Cup, as Naqvi was present on the dais. The stance was the same as last year when the men’s team refused to take the trophy from Naqvi, who is also the PCB chief and the interior minister of Pakistan.
“Asia Cup trophies, we hope it will come one day,” Saikia said in Mumbai on Friday after the BCCI’s 95th Annual General Meeting.
“I will not give you a timeline, but I can assure you that both the trophies will come up and land up in this BCCI head office at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai,” he added.
These scenes could very well repeat themselves at the Asian Games, given that the tournament is conducted under the aegis of the ACC and both the Indian men’s and women’s teams are expected to fight for gold. The presence of Naqvi in the medal presentation ceremony could very well lead to chaos in Japan.
Naqvi’s tenure
Saikia’s latest comments added another dimension to the saga as Naqvi’s tenure as the ACC chief nears its end. His stint officially ends in April 2027, and nobody knows whether he will secure enough votes from the members to get an extension at the helm.
Speaking of the women’s Asia Cup final, the Indian team held its own medal presentation ceremony after the game. BCCI secretary Saikia and vice-president Rajeev Shukla presented Nandni Sharma with the fielding medal. Soon after, the official presentation ceremony saw Naqvi presenting the runners-up cheque to Sri Lanka.
A day after the final, Saikia confirmed that it was a “firm institutional decision” not to take the award from Naqvi. “Our position had been communicated to the ACC in advance that the Indian team would not participate in the trophy presentation under the circumstances. Given the circumstances and the sentiments prevailing in the country, the BCCI felt that it would not be appropriate for the team to receive the trophy in the proposed manner,” Saikia told news agency PTI.
“This was a firm institutional decision, reflective of the position we have maintained, and was not directed at the players, the tournament or the sport,” he added.
There has been bad blood between the cricket teams of India and Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack and players have refused to shake hands with each since then.
