- Indian women declined Asia Cup trophy from ACC president.
- Deepti Sharma’s father strongly backed team’s stance.
- He cited Pakistan’s terrorism links for the decision.
- Deepti Sharma was the tournament’s top wicket-taker.
Deepti Sharma’s father, Bhagwan Sharma, has backed the Indian women’s team’s decision not to accept the Asia Cup trophy from Asian Cricket Council president Mohsin Naqvi. India defeated Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the final to win the Women’s Asia Cup for the eighth time. The trophy presentation was overshadowed after the Indian players declined to receive the silverware from Naqvi.
The decision has triggered widespread debate, with Deepti’s father strongly supporting the team’s stance.
Deepti Sharma’s Father Supports India’s Decision
Speaking to ABP News, Bhagwan Sharma praised the Indian players for refusing to take the trophy from Naqvi.
“The daughters of India have done a great job by not taking the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi. A year ago, our men’s team had also done the same,” he said.
Bhagwan also criticised Pakistan over the terror attack that killed 26 innocent people and said India should avoid relations with a country he described as supporting terrorism.
“Pakistan has been a terrorist country. Terrorists had killed 26 of our innocent people, and the whole world had criticised it,” he added.
‘They Should Do The Same In Future’
Deepti’s father further said that the Indian team had taken the right decision by refusing the trophy and urged the players to follow the same approach in future.
“We should not have any relations with such a terrorist country, let alone taking the trophy. The daughters of India have taken a very good step and they should do the same in future also,” Bhagwan said.
His comments came after India’s men’s team had also refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy from Naqvi during the previous edition.
Richa Ghosh’s father, Manabendra Ghosh, had earlier made similar remarks, saying Naqvi was not suitable to present the trophy and praising the Indian team for declining it.
Deepti Sharma Finishes As Tournament’s Leading Wicket-Taker
Deepti was one of India’s biggest performers during the tournament. She finished as the leading wicket-taker after claiming 14 wickets in five matches.
Her tally was also the highest by any bowler in a T20 Asia Cup edition. Deepti improved her own record of 13 wickets, which she had set during the 2022 tournament.
Celebrations broke out at her family home after India’s title-winning performance, with relatives distributing sweets to mark the memorable victory.
