A comment by former Pakistan batter Mohammad Yousuf about India’s decision to skip the Women’s Asia Cup trophy presentation has sparked a major social media controversy.
Mohammad Yousuf took a dig at the Indian team in a post on X (formerly Twitter). Without directly naming India, he suggested that national pride had turned into arrogance and argued that victories mean little without humility. His post also included a sarcastic reference to India leaving without the trophy and ended with the hashtags #WellDone and #MohsinNqvi.
The comment quickly attracted heavy trolling, with many Indian fans reminding Mohammad Yousuf of Pakistan’s recent cricket struggles.
India, meanwhile, have won the Asia Cup twice in two years. The Indian men’s team defeated Pakistan three times in 2025, including in the final. The Indian women’s team also defeated Pakistan in the group stage, restricting them to their lowest-ever Women’s T20I total, before going on to beat Sri Lanka in the final.
On both the occasions, Mohsin Naqvi was present at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium to present the trophy. He is the chairman of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) as well as the interior minister of Pakistan. However, the Indian teams chose not to collect the trophy from him and left the presentation ceremony without receiving it.
The decision dates back to the 2025 Men’s Asia Cup. Following the Pahalgam att@ck, the BCCI and the Indian men’s team decided to avoid shaking hands with the Pakistan players. As part of the same stance, the team also avoided receiving the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi after the final. The episode eventually ended with Naqvi taking the trophy to his ACC office in Dubai.
The BCCI maintained the same position during the Women’s Asia Cup. Mohsin Naqvi had reportedly been informed beforehand that the Indian team would not accept the trophy from him. However, Mohsin Naqvi remained firm that he would personally present the trophy and would not allow another official to do so. As a result, Harmanpreet Kaur’s team decided to skip the presentation ceremony.
Mohammad Yousuf’s comments did not go down well with Indian fans. Several users responded by pointing towards Pakistan’s own cricket record. One Indian user mocked Pakistan for struggling in bilateral cricket against Bangladesh, while another said that Indians were proud of their country and saw nothing wrong with expressing that pride.
Interestingly, Mohammad Yousuf also faced criticism from some Pakistani fans. One Pakistani supporter questioned whether Mohsin Naqvi should be held responsible for Pakistan cricket’s problems. The fan pointed out that Pakistan had not won an ICC trophy since 2017 and questioned why Yousuf was praising Mohsin Naqvi over the trophy controversy.
Another Pakistani user criticised Mohammad Yousuf for praising someone they accused of harming Pakistan cricket, even invoking a religious warning (Allah Ka khauf Karo (fear the Almighty)).
Mohsin Naqvi’s future as ACC chief is also expected to become an issue. His current contract is scheduled to end in 2027. Although he can seek an extension, reports suggest he may struggle to secure the votes needed to continue.
There has also been growing criticism of Pakistan cricket’s performances during Mohsin Naqvi’s tenure as Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman. Pakistan have struggled across ICC tournaments and have fallen to their lowest-ever ICC Test team ranking. The pressure on the PCB leadership was also evident when the board made major changes to the Pakistan squad during the England Test series. Despite the overhaul, Pakistan went on to suffer a 3-0 whitewash.
What began as Mohammad Yousuf’s criticism of India’s decision to skip the trophy presentation has therefore turned into a wider debate over the performances and leadership of Pakistan cricket.
