Team India skips Dubai trophy handover over bilateral tensions
Team India deliberately skipped the women's Asia Cup trophy handover from Asian Cricket Council president Mohsin Naqvi after crushing Sri Lanka by 72 runs in Dubai. Harmanpreet Kaur and her squad refused to attend the post-match presentation, directly avoiding Naqvi, who also chairs the Pakistan Cricket Board. Diplomatic and sporting ties between India and Pakistan have remained severely fractured for years due to sustained cross-border terrorism, frequently halting bilateral cricket events.
Indian batters produced a commanding performance on Sunday to secure their eighth overall continental title and fourth T20I championship. Openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana constructed a brilliant 129-run partnership for the first wicket. Verma blasted 68 runs in 39 balls, hitting nine fours and two sixes. Mandhana quickly followed with 59 from 39 deliveries, striking five boundaries and three sixes. Their explosive start allowed the side to post a formidable total of 183/5. Sree Charani then dismantled the opposition, taking four wickets for 20 runs and bowling Sri Lanka out for just 111 runs in 20 overs.
Broadcast bbruptly cuts away
Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu received her runner-up cheque from Naqvi on stage, but Indian players never appeared. Television cameras immediately switched to studio coverage to avoid broadcasting the empty stage. Before this scheduled presentation, Indian players formed their own huddle. Head coach Amol Muzumdar addressed his winning squad, while BCCI officials Devajit Saikia and Rajiv Shukla awarded a fielder medal to Nandani Sharma for taking two catches.
This quiet boycott exactly copies actions taken by the men's squad last year against Pakistan in the UAE. During that tournament, Indian players refused all handshakes with Pakistani counterparts and dedicated their victories to Indian armed forces fighting cross-border threats. Suryakumar Yadav famously lifted an imaginary trophy instead of collecting the physical hardware from Naqvi. That stalemate has now officially crossed into the women's tournament.
Team India decides not to collect trophy from Naqvi
