India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently stirred controversy by referencing the May conflict with Pakistan in a tweet celebrating India’s win in the Asia Cup final against their long-standing rival.
Modi posted ‘Operation Sindoor’ on the game’s field. The outcome is the same India wins! Congrats to our cricketers. He was referring to the four-day conflict between India and Pakistan earlier this year, which brought both nuclear-armed nations to the brink of another war. The conflict centered around Indian-administered Kashmir after a deadly attack in May that killed 22 tourists, an attack India blamed on Pakistan, though Islamabad denied any involvement.
During the conflict, Modi had announced Operation Sindoor in retaliation, which led to missile and drone attacks that resulted in over 70 casualties on both sides. Both countries claimed victory in the brief clash. In June, an Indian naval officer admitted that India lost several fighter jets to Pakistani fire, which was partially attributed to restrictions placed on the Indian forces by the government.
Tensions between the two countries continued to simmer, even during the Asia Cup cricket tournament. India defeated Pakistan by five wickets in the final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Still, the Indian team refused to accept the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, the chief of Pakistan’s Cricket Board (PCB), who was also the chief of the Asia Cricket Council (ACC) and Pakistan’s interior minister.
According to Simon Doull, a former cricketer and broadcaster, the Indian team’s decision not to accept the trophy was due to the ongoing tensions between the two countries. Throughout the tournament, the Indian team also refused to shake hands with the Pakistani players in all three matches they played.
At the awards ceremony, Indian players who won individual honors, such as Tilak Varma, Abhishek Sharma, and Kuldeep Yadav, collected their awards but did not acknowledge Naqvi. The Pakistani official was the only one on stage who did not applaud the Indian players.
Kuldeep Yadav, who won the Most Valuable Player award, expressed his disbelief, saying that he had “never seen” a winning team being denied their trophy.
On the other hand, Pakistan’s captain, Salman Agha, criticized India’s behavior, calling it “bad for cricket.” He remarked that a good team should show sportsmanship, something Pakistan did by waiting for their medals and accepting them with respect.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also made headlines after its secretary, Devajit Saikia, announced that it would lodge a formal protest against Naqvi at the upcoming International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting in November.
In addition to the tensions around the trophy, political gestures were also evident during the tournament. India’s captain, Yadav, was accused of making a political statement after the first match. In contrast, Pakistani players, including Sahibzada Farhan and Haris Rauf, made their own political gestures during the second match.
Also read: India Refuses Asia Cup Trophy After Win Against Pakistan in Dubai Final!
