India defeated Pakistan in the final of Asia Cup on Sunday (September 28) but they didn't get the deserved trophy in the presentation ceremony. The Indian players had refused to accept the trophy from ACC Chief and PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the interior minister of Pakistani government. But Naqvi insisted on handing over the trophy to India despite efforts from organisers and the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) officials to find alternatives.
Meanwhile, the Indian team celebrated the Asia Cup triumph without the trophy and have also returned home. However, according to a report in Cricbuzz, Naqvi is now ready to give the trophy back to India but has placed a condition, stating that he Suryakumar Yadav and his men will get the trophy and their medals only if a formal function is arranged. Moreover, Naqvi continues to insist that only he will be handing over the trophy to the Indian team and the standoff is expected to continue due to his stance.
Considering the political tensions currently between India and Pakistan and after what transpired between the two cricket teams in the Asia Cup, it is unlikely that the separate function will be arranged now. Also, several Indian players will soon get busy in their next respective assignments. Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma have been picked for second and third unofficial ODIs against Australia A while the likes of Shubman Gill, and Jasprit Bumrah are among the players who will be featuring in the Test series against the West Indies starting from October 2.
ACC meeting to take place today at 4 PM IST
Accoding to India TV's Vijay Laxmi, Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meeting is set to take place today at 4 PM IST, where the trophy-related controversy is set to dominate the discussions. Moreover, it is also understood that the BCCI will be lodging its protest to the ICC at its AGM on November 24. The Asia Cup trophy is at the same hotel where Naqvi is staying and has been asked to deliver the trophy to the ACC office in Dubai's Sports City from where it will be sent back to India. However, it is still not clear whether the PCB Chairman will join the meeting.
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