What do you get when a megalomaniac decides that, despite obvious and stated objections, it is his divine right to present the trophy, no matter if the victorious side is determined not to receive it from him because of where he hails from? A standoff that didn’t cover anyone in glory, an empty-handed retreat for the victors.

Sunday ought to have been a night of unfettered celebrations for Suryakumar Yadav and his men. In his first multi-team event as India’s Twenty20 International captain, the Mumbaikar set aside indifferent form to mastermind a spectacular campaign that was taken to its logical denouement by the brilliance and composure of Tilak Varma.

Instead, after a protracted wait marked by hectic parleying, India were forced to celebrate with a make-believe trophy after Mohsin Naqvi, the president of the Asian Cricket Council who is also the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board and his country’s interior minister, chose to put his ego above everything else and decided that if he couldn’t hand over the trophy, then no one else should.

It was the perfectly farcical end to an Asia Cup where the sport was almost a sideshow and non-cricketing developments held centre-stage. The dastardly terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22 has marked a new dynamic in Indo-Pak relations; India’s players refused to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts throughout the tournament, clearly following instructions from higher-ups. There were charges and inquiries and fines and sanctions, boycott threats and ugly scenes, and numerous provocative statements and gestures from the Pakistani camp that India’s players admirably refused to respond to. For all the distractions, they managed to keep their wits and focus.

Also Read: Real reason why India didn’t want to accept the Asia Cup trophy from ACC and PCB chair Mohsin Naqvi

There might have been no tangible reward in the form of a trophy, but Suryakumar made the most telling statement when he insisted that his trophies were sitting beside him (Abhishek Sharma, the Player of the Tournament) and in the dressing room (the other players and the support staff).

Sunday’s final ended at 12 AM IST when Rinku Singh deposited Haris Rauf, one of the chief Pakistani provocateurs, over mid-on for four. Tilak and Rinku rushed into the arms of their teammates, who charged into the ground to savour a particularly satisfying victory. Pakistan’s players immediately left for their sanctuary, and the outfield was being readied for the presentation ceremony, which, in normal course, would have started maybe a half-hour after the last ball.

There was hectic activity, but no sign of the show getting underway. India’s players were sprawled on the outfield, waiting for things to settle down. Naqvi, who had flown down from the USA specifically to present the trophy, hogged the outfield, engaging in parleys with numerous individuals and constantly hogging the phone. It was obvious what was going on – India had officially refused to receive the trophy from the Pakistani boss of the ACC, who was insistent that it was his trophy to hand over and that if he couldn’t, then, well, no one else would.

And so, the trophy was ferried to the centre of the ground, placed on a rostrum adjacent to the stage, and then taken away from the middle hastily. The ‘Champions’ banner, behind which the winning side normally poses with its spoils, disappeared as soon as it was brought out, one of the numerous officials dotting the outfield furiously waving it away. When the presentation party finally climbed on the stage, Naqvi among them, it was 1:15 AM IST, an hour and a quarter after the final had been sealed and delivered.

India’s players – Tilak, Abhishek Sharma and Kuldeep Yadav – went on stage to collect their individual awards, steadfastly ignoring Naqvi, who didn’t applaud when they picked up their prizes and cheques from sponsor representatives. Salman Agha, Pakistan’s vanquished captain, and his boys received their medals from Aminul Islam, the former captain who is now the president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board; the skipper collected the runners-up cheque for US $75,000 from Naqvi, then flung it away disdainfully before walking across for a chat with Simon Doull, the MC. After Abhishek finished talking to the New Zealand pacer on receiving his Player of the Tournament prize, Doull announced, “I have been informed by the Asian Cricket Council that the Indian cricket team will not be collecting their awards tonight. So that does conclude the post-match presentation.”

Should India have shown more grace and taken the trophy from Naqvi? Once a stance had been taken at a higher level, that was out of the equation. Could Naqvi have allowed common sense to prevail and allowed someone else to present the trophy? For sure. In 2022, on the same ground, when Dasun Shanaka led Sri Lanka to the Asia Cup title, it wasn’t then ACC boss Jay Shah who gave him the trophy, so there was precedent. Naqvi postured and threw his considerable weight around — ‘My trophy, my wish’. India refused to budge from their avowed position. It was chaotic, unbecoming, ugly. A sad end to a glorious Indian campaign.