India, despite winning the Asia Cup nearly a month ago, has remained without the trophy after refusing to accept it from Pakistani minister Mohsin Naqvi, who also happens to be the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chief.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has repeatedly demanded the handover, and recently, were looking to seek International Cricket Council (ICC) intervention after failing to get a response from the ACC chief on the matter.
According to a report by Hindustan Times, Naqvi has finally responded, inviting a BCCI representative to collect the trophy in person from him in Dubai, along with any participating player from the winning Indian team.
Asia Cup Trophy Row: Mohsin Naqvi’s Reported Reply To BCCI
Here’s what Mohsin Naqvi reportedly said in his response to the BCCI regarding the Asia Cup trophy handover:
“The ACC trophy rightly belongs to the Indian cricket team and is being held in trust till such time that a BCCI office holder along with any available participating player can collect the same from the ACC President,“
“Such collection would of course be accompanied with much fanfare and coverage as there should be no deviation from established practices and no precedent should be set which undermines the spirit of the game we all love.” Naqvi reportedly added.
In the wake of the tragic Pahalgam terrorist attack, Indian players chose not to exchange pleasantries with their Pakistani counterparts during the Asia Cup.
India and Pakistan met three times in the tournament, including the final, maintaining the same stance throughout.
Before the final, Mohsin Naqvi posted a video on X that propagated Pakistan’s unverified claim of shooting downe six Indian military jets. After India secured the title, the team refused to accept the trophy from him.
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