ISLAMABAD: Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Monday cautioned India against “dragging war into sport,” after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi invoked a past military operation while celebrating his team’s Asia Cup final win over Pakistan.
In a late-night post on X, Modi hailed India’s five-wicket victory as a continuation of “Operation Sindoor,” a 1999 military campaign against Pakistan. “#OperationSindoor on the games field. Outcome is the same India wins! Congrats to our cricketers,” he wrote.
Naqvi responded sharply, saying such remarks reflected “desperation” rather than sporting spirit. “If war was your measure of pride, history already records your humiliating defeats at Pakistan’s hands. No cricket match can rewrite that truth,” he said. “Dragging war into sport only disgraces the very essence of the game.”
The row came on the heels of an unusual incident during the post-match ceremony in Dubai, when the Indian team refused to receive the trophy from Naqvi. Broadcaster Simon Doull told viewers he had been informed in advance that the players would not be collecting their awards, underscoring the strained cricketing ties between the neighbours.
Pakistan Donates Match Fees
In a separate move, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that the national squad would donate their Asia Cup match fees to the families of civilians killed during India’s May 7 cross-border attack. “The Pakistan Cricket Team has dedicated its Asia Cup final match fees to the innocent victims martyred in the May 7 attack, in which civilians, including children, lost their lives. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families,” the board said in a statement.
‘Bad for Cricket’: Agha
Pakistan captain Salman Agha also expressed disappointment at India’s behaviour. “If they think they disrespected us by not shaking hands, then I say they disrespected cricket,” he told reporters. “What they did today, a good team doesn’t do. Good teams wait for their medals and show respect.”
Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav, meanwhile, downplayed the controversy, saying the team “took the call on the ground about not taking the trophy” and described his players and support staff as “the real trophies.”
A Rivalry Beyond Cricket
This year’s Asia Cup marked the first competitive meetings between the two sides since a brief but intense military flare-up in May, when India carried out airstrikes in Pakistan following a deadly attack in Pahalgam, which New Delhi blamed on Islamabad. Pakistan denied involvement, and the crisis eased only after U.S. intervention.
Despite calls from India to boycott the matches, the games went ahead, though each clash was steeped in controversy. From refusal to shake hands to provocative gestures on the field, the rivalry repeatedly spilled beyond cricket.
Naqvi has already lodged complaints with the International Cricket Council (ICC) over what he described as India’s “lack of sportsmanship.” With both politics and cricket entangled more tightly than ever, the Asia Cup may be remembered less for India’s ninth title than for the deepening hostility it exposed.
