Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stirred controversy by linking India’s Asia Cup cricket triumph over Pakistan to a past military confrontation in May that nearly pushed the two nuclear rivals into a fifth major war.
On Monday, Modi wrote on X: “#OperationSindoor played out on the sports field. The result remains unchanged – India victorious! Congratulations to our team. Modi’s remarks referred to the brief four-day clash in May, centered on Indian-administered Kashmir, which erupted after an attack killed 22 tourists. India accused Pakistan of orchestrating the assault, a charge Islamabad strongly rejected.
In response, Modi launched what he called “Operation Sindoor,” escalating the situation and triggering Pakistani counterstrikes. The confrontation left more than 70 dead in missile and drone exchanges, with both sides later asserting they had the upper hand.
The following month, an Indian naval officer acknowledged that several of the country’s fighter aircraft had been destroyed by Pakistani fire, attributing the losses to restrictions imposed by New Delhi on its own forces.
Tensions spilled over into cricket, with Indian players refusing to shake hands with their Pakistani rivals after the Asia Cup final. Friction deepened further on Sunday in Dubai, when India, after defeating Pakistan by five wickets, declined to receive the trophy from Asia Cricket Council president Mohsin Naqvi—who also heads Pakistan’s Cricket Board and serves as the country’s interior minister. Former New Zealand cricketer and commentator Simon Doull said, quoting the Asia Cricket Council, that India’s players chose not to receive their awards because of the strained relations.
Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed rejoices after dismissing India’s Sanju Samson.
Throughout the tournament, Indian players avoided shaking hands with their Pakistani counterparts in all three encounters between the sides.
Reports also suggest that Naqvi declined to withdraw from the award presentation ceremony and went ahead with handing out the prize.
India’s Tilak Varma, named player of the match, Abhishek Sharma, awarded player of the tournament, and Kuldeep Yadav, recognized as Most Valuable Player, collected their individual honours but chose not to acknowledge Naqvi on stage.
Notably, Naqvi was the only official present who withheld applause for the Indian awardees.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Yadav remarked that he had “never seen” a winning side denied its trophy.
Pakistan’s skipper Salman Agha criticized India’s actions, calling them damaging for the spirit of cricket.
“What they did today is not the conduct of a strong side. A good team does what we did—we waited patiently and accepted our medals,” he said.
Meanwhile, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia stated that the board intends to file a formal protest against Naqvi during the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) meeting scheduled for November.
The tournament also saw controversy over political gestures, with Indian captain Yadav accused after the opening match, while Pakistan’s Sahibzada Farhan and Haris Rauf were criticized for similar actions in the second game.
