Will India receive trophy from PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi if India win Asia Cup 2025? Suryakumar & Co.s stance revealed
Suryakumar Yadav-led India won't accept the trophy from PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi if they win the Asia Cup 2025 final.
After refusing to shake hands with the Pakistani players during their Group A clash in the Asia Cup 2025 on Sunday, the Indian players have reportedly decided not to accept the trophy from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi, if they win the final. Naqvi is also the head of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) that organises the Asia Cup.
India's handshake snub against Pakistan was a gesture of symbolic protest as none of the players or the support staff came out on the field for the customary routine following the team's 7-wicket win. Earlier, skipper Suryakumar Yadav had also avoided shaking hands with his Pakistani counterpart Salman Ali Agha at the toss.
India's handshake snub has snowballed into a controversy with Pakistan lodging protests with the ICC and demanding the removal of the match referee. It also raises the question of what the Indian team's stance will be if they manage to win the final, as Naqvi is expected to hand over the trophy to the winners as the president of the ACC.
As per a report in PTI, India is unlikely to accept the trophy from Naqvi. The Indian team has decided not to share the dias with the Pakistan Cricket Board chief. "It is reliably learnt that if India make the tournament’s final on September 28, the players won’t be sharing the presentation dais with Naqvi, who is expected to hand over the winner’s trophy as ACC head," read a report in PTI.
Pakistan threaten to pull out of Asia Cup if match referee is not removed
Meanwhile, India's handshake snub against Pakistan has now become a full-blown controversy with the PCB reportedly threatening to pull out of their remaining matches if match referee Andy Pycroft is not removed from the tournament. As per a report in TOI, Naqvi has warned that Pakistan will not take part in their remaining matches if action is not taken against the match referee.
Earlier, Naqvi had accused Pycroft of violating the ICC Code of Conduct during the India-Pakistan clash and failing to abide by the MCC laws about the spirit of the game. The PCB chief had demanded the immediate removal of the Zimbabwean match referee from the tournament.
"The PCB has lodged a complaint with the ICC regarding violations by the Match Referee of the ICC Code of Conduct and the MCC Laws pertaining to the Spirit of Cricket. The PCB has demanded an immediate removal of the Match Referee from the Asia Cup," he wrote in a post on X.
The demand for Pycroft's removal came after PCB accused the match referee of telling Pakistan skipper Salman Agha not to shake hands with Suryakumar at the toss. He was also accused of not taking any action on Pakistan's complaint about Indian players' refusal to shake hands post the match.
The handshake snub controversy has further spiced up the rivalry between India and Pakistan as the tournament progresses. The two teams can come face-to-face once again in the Super 4 stage later this week if Pakistan qualify for the next round. Pakistan will have to beat UAE in their final group-stage clash to make it to the Super 4.