New Delhi: Accused of “stealing” the Asia Cup trophy and medals from the Dubai stadium on Sunday, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) president and the country’s interior minister Mohsin Naqvi has now blamed India of “disgracing” the spirit of the game.
Naqvi humiliated himself on the world stage by walking away with the trophy after India refused to accept it from his hands.
Even as criticism continues to pour in, Naqvi took to X in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s congratulatory post after the game in which he equated India’s win against Pakistan on the cricket field to the country’s victory in Operation Sindoor.
“If war was your measure of pride, history already records your humiliating defeats at Pakistan’s hands. No cricket match can rewrite that truth. Dragging war into sport only exposes desperation and disgraces the very spirit of the game,” Naqvi posted.
His post is not visible in India as his X handle is banned in this country.
“Operation Sindoor on the games field. Outcome is the same – India wins! Congrats to our cricketers,” PM Modi had earlier posted.
It is clear that Naqvi is among the Pakistanis who peddle the false narrative of India being defeated in any war against that country.
Pakistan first lost to India in 1948 when it made an attempt to take over Kashmir. It lost again in 1965. In 1971, India dealt a crushing defeat when nearly 93,000 Pakistan Army officers and soldiers laid down arms. This was the biggest surrender in world history after World War II.
Pakistan also lost the Kargil War in 1999. Finally, India dealt a heavy blow in 2025 during Operation Sindoor.
India also trounced Pakistan on the cricket field and walked away with the Asia Cup title with a five-wicket win on Sunday.
Drama continued to unfold off the field after the match, with the post-match presentation being delayed by 90 minutes. Eventually, the presentation began, and the India players turned up to collect the individual awards.
During the ceremony, Naqvi and the Pakistan players were booed by the Indian fans. Naqvi, who is also the chairman of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) didn’t applaud the Indian players who came up to receive their personal accolades.
Simon Doull, the presenter for the host broadcaster towards the end of the ceremony, confirmed that, “I have been informed by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) that the Indian cricket team will not be collecting their awards tonight. So that does conclude the post-match presentation.”
Eventually, the speculations cleared up after it was confirmed by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia. He disclosed that India had refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy during the presentation ceremony from Naqvi.
Naqvi then walked away with his entourage taking away the trophy and the official medals with them. India, however, continued to celebrate on the ground, posing with an imaginary trophy.
