Asia Cup Final Victory Sparks Anti-Pakistan Tension in Indian Cricket

 Staff Reporter | PNN

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi added a political dimension to India’s Asia Cup final win against Pakistan. Celebrating the victory, he directly compared the sports triumph to conflict with Pakistan, writing on social media: “Same result in Operation Sindur as in the game, India wins!”

In May, a four-day limited conflict occurred between the two neighboring countries over Kashmir. Following the killing of tourists, India accused Pakistan and launched “Operation Sindur.” More than 70 people were killed in retaliatory attacks from both sides. Modi drew a parallel between this conflict and India’s cricket victory.

After the final, the Indian team refused to shake hands with Pakistani players. They also declined to accept the trophy from the Asian Cricket Council president and Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. Even when three Indian players won individual awards, they ignored Naqvi while going on stage.

Pakistan captain Salman Aga criticized the behavior as “detrimental to sportsmanship,” saying that a good team shows respect to opponents, which India failed to do.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that they will file a formal complaint against Naqvi at the ICC meeting in November.

Cricket fans believe that the off-field tensions are as intense as the on-field competition in the Asia Cup.