**Dubai:** The Indian team refused to accept the winners’ trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chairman and Pakistan minister Mohsin Naqvi after emerging victorious in the Asia Cup final here on Sunday.
India beat Pakistan by five wickets to clinch the Asia Cup, securing their ninth title overall in the tournament.
Speculation had been rife in the build-up to the final that Indian players might not accept the trophy, if they won, from Naqvi. He is not only the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board and an interior minister of Pakistan but is also known for his anti-India stance.
As the head of the continental body, Naqvi was well within his rights to present the trophy and engage in the customary handshake with both squads. However, the Indian team chose to maintain its ‘no handshake’ and no off-field engagement policy with anyone from Pakistan.
Adding to the tension, Naqvi had twice posted cryptic video messages on ‘X’ in the days leading to the final. One of the videos depicted a Cristiano Ronaldo goal celebration mimicking a plane crash — the same gesture that controversial pacer Haris Rauf repeatedly made during the Super 4s game against India on September 21, which led to a fine on him.
*Note: Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ’s editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.*
https://www.freepressjournal.in/sports/india-clinch-asia-cup-but-refuse-trophy-from-acc-chief-mohsin-naqvi