Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Chief Mohsin Naqvi has criticized Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for drawing parallels between war and cricket victory and says that such a rhetoric undermines the spirit of the game.
Naqvi, who also acts as the Minister of the Interior of the Land, said that history had already documented the defeats of India against Pakistan in the battlefield. He added that politicizing sport through conflict -based comparisons reflected despair instead of national pride.
“If war was your degree of pride, history records all your humiliating defeats in the hands of Pakistan. No cricket match can rewrite that truth. War Sleeping War in sport only exposes despair and shame the spirit of the game,” Naqvi said in a message about X.
The explanation came in response to Modi’s illogical tweet after the victory of India over Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 -final of Sunday, where the Indian Prime Minister had equated the cricket victory to “Operation Sindoor” to congratulate his players, only to invite the big conviction that the remark is a sport event.
To the Indian Prime Minister, the Minister of Defense Khawaja Asif also took a member of the criticism and said that Modi destroyed the culture and spirit of Cricket for political profit, reducing the chances of peace and conflict solution in the subcontinent.
“Modi ends the possibilities of peace and solutions for issues in the subcontinent to save his politics by destroying the culture and spirit of Cricket. Honor cannot be regained in this way.
Modi was confronted with criticism of his tweet, not only by Pakistan Netizens, but also by the people in his own country. Users of social media and commentators, even Indian, condemned the comparison quickly. Critics say that comparing a cricket match with a military operation risks politiating sport and undermines the spirit of the game.
Respondingly to the move, a journalist wrote to X: “A prime minister who explains cricket match right. Only because India lost war to Pakistan, do they need everything to compensate for that loss.”
“Comparing a cricket victory with #operationsindoor, where our soldiers have laid their lives, is deeply disrespectful,” wrote another user on X as he took a excavation at Modi.
Asia Cup Trophy Debacle
Earlier, the closing ceremony of the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 ended in controversy on Sunday After the Indian cricket team refused to collect the winner trophy of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Chief Mohsin Naqvi, who also leads the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
India had previously defeated Pakistan with five wickets in a tense final in the Dubai International Cricket Stadium,
However, the presentation after the game was delayed after the Indian side refused to accept the Naqvi trophy, causing the men’s game to be damaged.
The ceremony concluded without the traditional transfer and marked an unusual end of the tournament. No usual handshakes were exchanged between players, who continue a pattern of previous competitions where political understreams and increased tensions were clear.
“I was informed by the ACC that the Indian Cricket team will not collect any prizes tonight. So that concludes the presentation after the game,” says presenter Simon D down.
Pakistan skipper Salman Agha said that India’s actions during the tournament “were bad for cricket”.
“I think what happened in this tournament is very disappointing,” Agha told reporters.
“If they think they have not respected us by not shaking hands, I say they have not respected cricket.
“It was seen for the first time. I don’t know where it will stop. What happened in this tournament is bad for cricket.”
Agha further said that the team would donate their final competition costs of Asia Cup to families of citizens and children who were killed in the Indian attacks of May.
The Asia Cup marked the first cricket match between the two parties since their military confrontation in May, where politics repeatedly overshadowed the competition on the field outside the field.
– with extra input from AFP
