Mumbai – The argument that started after the Asia Cup 2025 final has gotten worse. Devajit Saikia, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said that the board will file a formal and strong complaint with the International Cricket Council (ICC) about what ACC and PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi did. Saikia said that Naqvi took the winner’s trophy and medals to his hotel room after the Indian team refused to take them from him.
India, headed by captain Suryakumar Yadav, beat their biggest adversary, Pakistan, on Sunday to capture their seventh Asia Cup title. But the winning celebration was ruined by the post-game presentation ceremony, where the Indian team stuck to its guns and refused to shake hands with the other team or accept the trophy from Naqvi.
Saikia told media that the BCCI’s denial was related to the continuing tensions between the two countries. “India is at war with another country, and the leader of that country was supposed to give us the trophy…” “We can’t take a trophy from someone who represents a country that is at war with ours,” he remarked. India and Pakistan have been at odds for a long time, and there was a brief military confrontation earlier this year after a terrorist incident in Pahalgam that India blamed on Pakistan-based terror groups, which led to retaliatory attacks.
Saikia vehemently blasted Naqvi’s behavior as “totally unexpected” and “unsportsmanlike,” even though he agreed with India’s choice. He went on to say, “That doesn’t mean the man will take the trophy and medals, which are meant for our country, to his own hotel room.”
Saikia said that the BCCI’s appeal will be a big topic of discussion at the next ICC meeting, which will be in Dubai in November. He said, “We are going to file a very strong complaint about the man’s behavior at today’s prize distribution ceremony.” He also asked that the medals and trophy be sent back to India as soon as possible.
The BCCI’s strong stance comes after a tournament where the two teams were always at odds, starting with the “no-handshake” incident and Pakistan’s complaints about how players and officials acted. The turmoil off the field has mostly eclipsed the on-field heroics of Tilak Varma, who scored an unbeaten 69, and Rinku Singh, who hit the winning runs.