The fallout from the Asia Cup final between India and Pakistan has spilled far beyond the pitch, with Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chief Mohsin Naqvi warning India against “dragging war into sports” after Prime Minister Narendra Modi politicised India’s victory.
On Sunday, Modi congratulated the Indian side on X, calling the win a continuation of “Operation Sindoor,” a reference to India’s four-day military conflict with Pakistan in May. “#OperationSindoor on the games field. Outcome is the same — India wins! Congrats to our cricketers,” he wrote.
Naqvi responded sharply, saying no cricket match could rewrite history. “If war was your measure of pride, history already records your humiliating defeats at Pakistan’s hands. Dragging war into sport only exposes desperation and disgraces the very spirit of the game,” he said.
The controversy deepened when the Indian team refused to accept the winners’ trophy from Naqvi, a symbolic snub that commentators described as a new low in Indo-Pak cricketing ties. Broadcaster Simon Doull confirmed during the presentation that India had declined to collect their awards.
Pakistan captain Salman Agha also condemned India’s conduct, saying it disrespected not just Pakistan but the game itself. “Good teams do what we did — we waited for our medals and took them. What happened today is very disappointing. It’s bad for cricket,” he said.
Both sides have attempted to frame their actions in moral terms. The Pakistan Cricket Board announced it would donate its players’ match fees to civilians killed in the May 7 Indian attack, while Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav earlier pledged his fees to Indian victims. Yadav later said the team had “denied” the trophy on principle, adding, “My trophies are my teammates — the 14 players and support staff.”
The tournament — the first cricketing clash between the neighbours since their May military standoff — was fraught with hostility. Indian players repeatedly refused to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts, while Pakistan’s Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan were reprimanded by the ICC for heated on-field gestures.
Naqvi has already lodged a complaint with the ICC over what he described as India’s “lack of sportsmanship.” For many observers, the Asia Cup has underscored how political tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals continue to poison even the most celebrated stage of their shared sporting rivalry.