New Delhi, Sep 16 (IANS) The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Devajit Saikia, speaking on the controversy following the India-Pakistan clash in the Asia Cup, said that we should not be bothered by it and enjoy the win rather than focusing on outside chatter.
Sunday’s India-Pakistan match in the Asia Cup is still the talk of the town because of the drama that unfolded after the game’s conclusion. Suryakumar Yadav and his men avoided shaking hands with Pakistani players after their victory, a gesture that did not sit right with PCB and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chair Mohsin Naqvi.
Speaking on the matter, Saikia said that one must focus on celebrating India’s ‘thumping’ win rather than focusing on what ‘third parties’ or ‘hostile countries’ say.
“I can only say that India won handsomely. It was a thumping victory for the Indian team. Nothing more. Nothing less. That’s all. India won the match so comfortably. 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,” Saikia told IANS on the controversy after the India-Pakistan Asia Cup game in Dubai.
India beat Pakistan by seven wickets on Sunday to clinch their second win of the tournament. With that, the Men in Blue also secured themselves a spot in the Super Four.
After the match against the Men in Green, the Indian players walked back to the dressing room while the Pakistani players waited to shake hands. Team India avoided the same, with skipper Suryakumar Yadav later mentioning that it was a mutual call taken by 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 at the post-match press conference.
India will take on Oman in their final Group A game of the Asia Cup on September 19 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
— IANS
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