Asia Cup trophy rightfully belongs to the winning team & must be sent to India at the earliest: Saikia

Re-elected for a second consecutive term, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia on Monday said that the national cricket board has assigned its representatives, vice-president Rajeev Shukla and former treasurer Ashish Shelar, currently in Dubai, to fetch the Asia Cup trophy and medals that the victorious Indian cricket team was denied on Sunday.

Moments after India soaked in the pressure of a tense final to beat Pakistan by five wickets and seal their ninth Asia Cup crown, the spotlight shifted to the delayed presentation ceremony, and the drama that unfolded at the Dubai International Stadium. The Indian team refused to accept the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief and head of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), who is also Pakistan’s interior minister.

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The chaos deepened when, before the ceremony finally began, an ACC official suddenly lifted the Asia Cup trophy from its spot on the raised dais and walked away with it, offering no explanation.

When the ceremony eventually got underway, individual awards were handed out by other dignitaries, with Kuldeep Yadav, Abhishek Sharma, and Tilak Varma among the recipients. Pakistan captain Salman Agha then collected the runners-up cheque. But the ceremony was declared closed without the champions receiving their silverware.

Expressing the BCCI’s displeasure. Secretary Devajit Saikia said what happened in Dubai was unacceptable.

“The trophy rightfully belongs to the winning team and must be sent to India at the earliest. The ACC Chairman should understand the situation and ensure the trophy reaches India,” Saikia told The Statesman.

Saikia confirmed that the BCCI will raise the matter formally at the upcoming ICC meeting in Dubai in November, where strong objections will be raised. He also informed that Shukla and Shelar are still in Dubai monitoring the situation.

“We had already made it clear that we would not take the trophy directly from his hands. He could have sent it to the team hotel, but that was not done. This is intolerable, and we will lodge a strong protest,” he added.