NEW DELHI– Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Devajit Saikia downplayed the controversy that followed India’s Asia Cup clash with Pakistan, urging fans to celebrate the team’s dominant victory instead of paying attention to “outside noise.”
India defeated Pakistan by seven wickets on Sunday in Dubai, securing their second win of the tournament and a spot in the Super Four. However, post-match drama erupted when Indian players walked off without shaking hands with their Pakistani counterparts, prompting criticism from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chairman Mohsin Naqvi.
Saikia told IANS that the focus should remain on the team’s strong performance. “India won handsomely. It was a thumping victory for the Indian team. Nothing more. Nothing less. That’s all. We should be enjoying that rather than focusing on all that noise created by some third party or hostile countries. We should not be bothered by it. Instead, we should appreciate and feel proud of our boys for doing so well. We hope the winning momentum will continue till the last match of this tournament,” he said.
Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav later clarified at the post-match press conference that skipping the handshake was a joint decision taken in alignment with both the BCCI and the Indian government. “Our government and BCCI — we were aligned today. Rest, we took a call. We came here to just play the game. We have given a proper reply,” Yadav said.
India’s next Group A fixture is against Oman on September 19 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. (Source: IANS)
