- Coach says India followed board’s directive and didn’t collect trophy.
- Muzumdar says team does not know when it will receive silverware.
- Rejects suggestions that the decision was against sportsmanship.
DUBAI: India’s women’s cricket team refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President Mohsin Naqvi after winning the title on Sunday because the decision had been taken by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), head coach Amol Muzumdar said.
Speaking at a post-match press conference, Muzumdar was asked by Geo News when the team would receive the trophy.
“We don’t know anything about the trophy. There is no news about when we will get the trophy,” he said.
Asked whether the team had decided not to receive the silverware on the BCCI’s instructions, Muzumdar said the decision had been taken by the Indian cricket board, and the players had followed it.
“The stand was taken by the BCCI. We are united and standing by it,” he said, according to reports from the press conference.
When a journalist pointed out that the Indian team had repeatedly declined to accept the trophy in similar circumstances, Muzumdar was asked whether the latest move went against the spirit of sportsmanship.
He rejected that characterisation, saying the BCCI had taken the decision and the women’s team had followed it.
The Indian team did not come out of the dressing room for the presentation after beating Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the final to claim their eighth Women’s Asia Cup title.
Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu accepted the runners-up prize-money cheque from Naqvi.
The episode mirrors last year’s men’s Asia Cup controversy, when India also declined to collect the trophy from Naqvi after defeating Pakistan in the final.
The latest incident therefore marks the second consecutive year in which an Indian Asia Cup-winning team has ended the tournament without receiving the silverware at the scheduled presentation.
The controversy comes against the backdrop of strained cricketing relations between India and Pakistan, with Naqvi serving as ACC president as well as chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board.
Muzumdar had previously declined to engage with questions about off-field matters during the tournament, saying India’s focus was on playing its best cricket and that the team would address such issues when required.
The latest decision has again brought the political tensions surrounding India-Pakistan cricket into the spotlight, overshadowing part of India’s emphatic title victory.
