Sept 29: After emerging victorious in finals on Sunday, the Indian team refused to accept the winners’ trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chairman and Pakistan Minister Mohsin Naqvi.
Speculations were rife in the build-up to the final that Indian players might not accept the trophy, if they win, from Naqvi, who is also the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, an interior minister of his country, and also known for his anti-India stance.
As the head of the continental body, he was well within his rights to present the trophy and also engage in a customary handshake with both squads, but the Indian team preferred to maintain its ‘no handshake’ and no off-field engagement policy with anyone from Pakistan.
Naqvi has twice posted a cryptic video message on ‘X’ in the past few days — a Cristiano Ronaldo goal celebration depicting a plane crash, the same gesture that controversial pacer Haris Rauf made repeatedly during the Super 4s game against India on September 21, leading to a fine on him.
