Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Devjit Saikia on Saturday confirmed that India will raise the issue of handing over the Asia Cup trophy at the upcoming International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting in Dubai. He cited no response from the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) despite a formal letter sent ten days ago. India refused to accept the trophy from Naqvi, who is also Pakistan’s Home Minister, and the post-match presentation was marred by chaos. Responding to India’s decision, an official removed the Asia Cup trophy from the stage and took it off the ground without giving any explanation.
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Devjit Saikia told ANI that we have contacted ACC and also sent a letter 10 days ago. No positive response has been received. We stand by the same stand. Therefore, we will raise this issue in the ICC meeting, which begins in Dubai on November 4. The trophy will come, and it is certain, because India has won this trophy easily. Only the deadline has to be fixed. He further said, “If we had to take the trophy from him, we would have taken it on the day of the final itself. Our stand is clear: we are not taking the trophy from that gentleman. So, there is no change in the BCCI’s stand. We are not accepting the trophy from the ACC President, who is the Home Minister of Pakistan. So, it should come, but not from his hands.”
Despite the controversy, India found a way to celebrate, with captain Suryakumar Yadav mimicking his predecessor Rohit Sharma’s slow walk after the 2024 T20 World Cup final and lifting the imaginary trophy with his teammates. The standoff over the Asia Cup trophy began when India refused to accept the trophy from Naqvi, who is also Pakistan’s interior minister. The trophy is also important for India amid cross-border tensions after the five-wicket win between the two countries.