India refuse to collect Asia Cup trophy from Mohsin Naqvi

The Indian cricket team refused to collect the Asia Cup trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, after their victory over Pakistan in the final in Dubai on Sunday. Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan's Interior Minister, remained adamant that he alone would do the honours. Eventually, in a stunning turn of events, India ended the night without a trophy.

The presentation ceremony began more than an hour and a half after Rinku Singh hit the winning runs. Cricbuzz understands the delay was caused by a standoff: the Indian team refused to accept the trophy from Naqvi, while Naqvi refused to budge from his position to hand over the trophy to the winning team. Before the broadcast for the presentations finally began, the trophy had already been taken off the ground.

While Tilak Varma, Kuldeep Yadav, and Abhishek Sharma collected their respective rewards from the sponsors, the Indian team didn't end up receiving their winners' medals and the winning trophy. Pakistan collected their runners-up medals from Aminul Islam, the BCB President, and went straight back into their dressing room after that, their head coach Mike Hesson in tow.

The confusion began when Pakistan's touring party, players and support staff, headed straight into the dressing room soon after India struck the winning runs, throwing their scheduled press conference into uncertainty.

With them indoors, and with stand-off between India and Mohsin playing out in the background, the entire post-match presentation party, including Mohsin, was left waiting on the dais for over 35 minutes. During this time, Naqvi was also seen engaged in a couple of long and animated phone calls.

It is also understood that Emirates Cricket Board vice-chairman Khalid Al Zarooni and BCB's Aminul Islam offered to present the trophy to India. It was an arrangement India were willing to accept. However, Naqvi was not onboard, insistent on presenting the trophy himself. In the end, no trophy was presented to India at all.

The Pakistan team finally emerged from the dressing room after spending an hour indoors, possibly waiting out the tense standoff, and were greeted by loud boos from the largely Indian crowd eager to see their team lift the trophy. Yet the presentations were delayed further, with players from both sides left to idle on the field.

India captain Suryakumar Yadav did not speak at the presentation. "I have been informed by the Asian Cricket Council that the Indian cricket team will not be collecting their awards tonight. So that does conclude the post-match presentation," host Simon Doull announced on broadcast after interviewing Tilak Varma (Player of the Match), Salman Ali Agha (Pakistan captain), and Abhishek Sharma (Player of the Tournament).

Once the ceremony ended and Naqvi had left, the "champions" signage was briefly brought out for India's photo-op, only to be whisked away again. The players improvised: they sat on the dais, posed for the cameras and then climbed on top of it. Suryakumar, with a grin, mimed lifting an imaginary trophy as his teammates cheered around him, fireworks and confetti guns going off in the background. It was a surreal end to a tournament India had dominated.

In the post-match press conference, Suryakumar said India deserved to get the trophy after a stellar campaign.

"This is one thing which I have never seen since I have started playing cricket, since I have started following cricket that a champion team is denied to get a trophy," Suryakumar said. "That too a hard-earned one, it's not like we got it easily. It was a hard-earned tournament. We were here since the 4th [September], played two back-to-back good games. I feel we deserved it. I can't say anything more, I think I have summed it up really well, I can't say anything more about it.

"If you tell me about the trophies, my trophies are sitting in the dressing room, all the 14 guys, all the support staff. Those are the real trophies who I have been a big fan of throughout this journey of Asia Cup. Those are the real trophies, the real moments which I am taking back as lovely memories and which will stay forever," added Yadav.

Soon after India's five-wicket victory, the Board of Control for Cricket in India also announced a reward of INR 21 Crore for the players and the support staff.

Salman Ali Agha, Pakistan's captain, addressed the press conference after India, a break from convention as the losing team usually goes first. He appeared before the media more than two hours after the match had ended, by which time the team bus had already left with the rest of the players and coaching staff. Agha was later seen leaving with the team's media manager in a private car.

"If the ACC has a president, then it's his job to give the trophy. If you don't want to take it from him, then how else will you get it?" Agha asked rhetorically at the press conference.

While the absence of a trophy presentation made for an unusual finish, India's performances through the tournament left little doubt about the merit of their triumph.