Why Did India's Women Cricketers Refuse the Asia Cup Trophy Again?
Asia Cup Trophy Controversy Continues
Dubai: For the second consecutive year, the Asia Cup trophy remains a point of contention as the Indian women's cricket team declined to accept the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) from Pakistan.
Under the leadership of Harmanpreet Kaur, India triumphed over Sri Lanka by 72 runs, securing their eighth Asia Cup title. However, the team chose not to participate in the post-match award ceremony.
"India is officially the Asia Cup champions. Whether we receive the trophy or not is irrelevant to us. This is the BCCI's decision (to refuse the trophy from Naqvi). We have no further comments on this," stated Amol Muzumdar, the head coach of India, during the post-match press briefing.
It's worth noting that the Indian men's team also rejected the Asia Cup trophy and medals from Naqvi last year, who is not only the head of the Pakistan Cricket Board but also serves as the country's Interior Minister.
The Asia Cup trophy remains unclaimed by the Indian team and is currently stored at the ACC office.
Instead of a formal celebration, the Suryakumar Yadav-led squad held an informal celebration on stage without the trophy.
This time, the Indian women's team did not return to the field after BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia awarded Nandini Sharma with a medal for best fielder.
In contrast, the Sri Lankan team accepted their runners-up cheque from Naqvi, and prior to that, all players and support staff received medals from SLC interim chief Eran Wikramaratne.
Naqvi departed the stadium shortly after presenting the award to Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu, but unlike the previous year, he left without the trophy.
The diplomatic ties between India and Pakistan have been strained since last year's Pahalgam terror attack and the subsequent Operation Sindoor.
Players from both nations, male and female, now adhere to a no-handshake policy during encounters at Asian or ICC global events.