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New Delhi: Indian players were not respectful enough of Pakistan in the U-19 Asia Cup, their coach Sarfaraz Ahmed claimed following their victory in the final.
Pakistan claimed their second Under-19 Asia Cup title with a 191-run win over India in Dubai on Sunday. It was Pakistan's first win in the tournament in 13 years.
Sameer Minhas was the star of Pakistan’s victory, blasting 172 off 113 balls to propel Pakistan to a healthy score of 347 for eight.
Ayush Mhatre’s India were never in contention and imploded in their chase and after conclusion of the game, Ahmed found fault in behaviour of Indian players, suggesting it lacked sportsman spirit.
"We have played against Indian teams that respected cricket. The way the young boys behaved was disrespectful towards the sport," the former skipper said.
"I clearly told my players that celebrations should be respectful. I wanted the boys to show their ability in this format. I told my boys: back yourself, let them do what they are doing."
Ahmed stressed that that Pakistan chose to celebrate their joy with restraint, even in the face of perceived provocation from the opposition.
"India's behaviour regarding the game was not good, and the Indian team's conduct in cricket was unethical," he added.
"But we celebrated the victory with sportsmanship, because there should always be sportsmanship in cricket; what India did is their own action."
In a video of Ahmed speaking to his boys in the dugout during the final, he could be seen speaking in Urdu, saying: "You don't play against ignorant people by becoming ignorant yourself; you must play within the bounds of decency."
He later confirmed to have made those comments.
