India Crowned Asia Cup Champions, But Trophy Ceremony Ends Without the Champions

India won their record eighth Women’s T20 Asia Cup title with a 72-run victory over Sri Lanka in the final in Dubai last week. But the celebrations turned out to be odd, as the Indian team was not handed their medals or the championship trophy at the official presentation ceremony.

After the handy win, the presentation was delayed for almost 50 mins. The players of Sri Lanka ultimately took their runners-up medals when the ceremony did start. But the occasion ended very abruptly before the Indian champions were called up to collect their medals and trophy.

The incident was related to the arrival of Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who also wears two hats: PCB chairman and Pakistan’s interior minister. It was already a touchy topic with Indian cricket after India refused to accept the trophy from him after last year’s men’s Asia Cup final.

Although the official ceremony was incomplete, the Indian team celebrated their success. The team hosted a separate awards ceremony for the best fielder of the tournament and fielding Coach Munish Bali was part of this event. Nandani Sharma was adjudged as the best-fielder and presented a medal by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia amid presence of vice president Rajeev Shukla.

India coach Amol Muzumdar later clarified that the team was happy with the end result. He said the BCCI had made its stand clear and added that India was already announced winners on the stadium mega `scoreboard.

India had turned in a stunning performance on the field. Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma provided the team with a great start adding 129 runs for the first wicket. India finished at 184 in the final with both men scoring attacking half-centuries.

Captain Harmanpreet Kaur lauded the Indian opening pair for adapting well to Dubai’s slow conditions. She also stressed on the consistent performance of the side during this tournament.

India, however, emerged as a force to be reckoned with in this tournament and claimed another Asia Cup title on the banks of the Wenzhou River leaving it behind for good as they fix their eyes on what lies ahead at the Asian Games despite terribly unusual display.