New Delhi, Oct 21 (IANS) The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has written an email to Mohsin Naqvi, President of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), to return the Asia Cup trophy to India, which won the title in Dubai recently.

After beating Pakistan by five wickets in the summit clash, the Indian team refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy from Mohsin Naqvi during the post-match presentation ceremony because the ACC chief also serves as the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and also Pakistan’s Interior Minister.

As per a media report, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said the board is awaiting a response from Naqvi, and if there is nothing from his side, we will escalate the matter to ICC with an official mail, adding that the board is “going step by step with the process and will keep pursuing the matter”.

After the Asia Cup final, the Indian team management had enquired who would be presenting the silverware and indicated willingness to receive it from Emirates Cricket Board vice-chairman Khalid Al Zarooni, but Naqvi is said to have rejected the proposal.

When the presentation ceremony began, India spinner Kuldeep Yadav, opener Abhishek Sharma, and batter Tilak Varma received their individual awards from other dignitaries on stage. When Naqvi finally stepped onto the dais, the Indian side made clear they would not accept the trophy from him. Moments later, the trophy was discreetly removed from the venue, leaving the champions without their prize.

BCCI, however, had raised strong objections in the ACC meeting on September 30 over the decision not to hand over the winner’s trophy to the Indian team and the drama created by the ACC chairman during the post-match presentation ceremony.

BCCI vice president Rajeev Shukla, who represented the BCCI at the meeting, had confronted Naqvi with tough questions. “Why was the trophy not handed over to the winning team? The ACC trophy is not the personal property of any individual,” Shukla reportedly said during the discussions.

–IANS

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