U-19 Asia Cup: India receive medals from this ICC official
What's the story
India lost the 2025 Under-19 Asia Cup final to Pakistan, held at ICC Academy Ground in Dubai. The Indian team was bowled out for 156 while chasing a target of 348, losing the match by a whopping margin of 191 runs. Mohsin Naqvi, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman was present at the event but did not present India the runners-up medal.
Medal presentation
ICC official presents runners-up medal to Indian team
Notably, Mubashshir Usmani, an International Cricket Council (ICC) Associate Member Director, presented the runners-up medal to the Indian players, instead of Naqvi. The Indian team did not walk up to the podium where Naqvi was standing. Instead, they collected their medals at a designated area on the ground. The long-standing tussle between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and PCB stemmed from the Senior Men's T20 Asia Cup earlier this year.
Past encounter
Previous incident between Indian team and Naqvi
The Indian senior men's cricket team, led by Suryakumar Yadav, had previously refused to accept the 2025 Asia Cup trophy from Naqvi after defeating Pakistan in the final match earlier this year. As a result, Naqvi walked away with the trophy without presenting it. The Indian team also avoided handshakes with their Pakistani counterparts during matches in this year's Asia Cup.
Rising tensions
Hostilities between India and Pakistan
The two countries have been at loggerheads since the gruesome Pahalgam terror attack in April this year. While India responded by launching Operation Sindoor, Pakistan retaliated with drone attacks. Amid the political tensions, the two cricket sides have already met at several tournaments this year, including the Asia Cup, the Rising Stars Asia Cup, the ICC Women's World Cup, and the Under-19 Asia Cup. Each of these tournaments witnessed the no-handshake row.