The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Devajit Saikia on Monday said the women's cricket team's refusal to accept the Asia Cup trophy from Asian Cricket Council's (ACC) Pakistani chief Mohsin Naqvi was a "conscious, institutional" call taken by the Board, keeping circumstances and sentiments in view.
Naqvi could only hand over the runners-up medals to the Sri Lankan women's team and continued to wait on the podium for Harmanpreet Kaur and Co., but they refused to change their stance. In the end, the Indian team celebrated the triumph without the trophy, much like Suryakumar Yadav's men last year.
It was later explained that the BCCI had asked the Indian women's team to adopt this stance, in sync with the bitter political relations that exist between India and Pakistan. However, Saikia explained that the stance is purely an institutional decision, and not against the tournament, the players or the sport.
"We had taken a conscious decision, considering all prevailing aspects, and our position had been communicated to the ACC in advance, that the Indian team would not participate in the trophy presentation under the circumstances," Saikia told PTI.
"Given the circumstances and the sentiments prevailing in the country, the BCCI felt that it would not be appropriate for the team to receive the trophy in the proposed manner.
"This was a firm institutional decision, reflective of the position we have maintained, and was not directed at the players, the tournament or the sport," he added.
Following the terror attack in April last year, the two countries were also engaged in a brief military showdown in May.
Our participation in the Asia Cup was in fulfilment of our sporting commitments as a member of the ACC by adhering to the policy in place, and there was never any question of compromising on the spirit of the game or our commitment to international cricket.
"However, participation in a multinational tournament and the manner in which the trophy is received are two separate matters," the Advocate General of Assam stated.
