The gold medal match between India and Pakistan in the men’s cricket competition of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 will be played on October 3 (Saturday) at Korogi Sports Park, Nisshin. Before this gold medal match, the ongoing suspense regarding Mohsin Naqvi has ended. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has confirmed that its president and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi will not be present in Japan on the day of the final.
Asian Cricket Council said on its official X account on Friday that Mohsin Naqvi will not be able to attend the final day of the Asian Games due to prior commitments. He has congratulated all the four teams participating in the gold and bronze medal matches. Naqvi said in his statement that his commitments will keep him away from Nagoya, but he is looking forward to watching the Asian Games competitions.
India and Pakistan have performed brilliantly and made it to the men’s cricket final of the Asian Games. India defeated Sri Lanka by 124 runs in the semi-finals, while Pakistan won the title match by defeating Bangladesh in a rain-affected match. India has won the gold medal in men’s cricket in the last Asian Games played in Hangzhou.
There was presentation controversy in Asia Cup
There was discussion about Mohsin Naqvi’s presence in the final not only because he is the head of both the Asian Cricket Council and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). After the incidents related to the trophy presentation of the Indian teams during the last two Asia Cups, the question was being raised that what would be the situation if Naqvi becomes a part of the medal ceremony in the Asian Games.
After winning the title in Men’s Asia Cup 2025, the Indian team did not take the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi. After this, in the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 also, the Indian team had refused to accept the trophy from Naqvi during the trophy presentation. After these incidents, Naqvi’s presence in any major match between India and Pakistan is naturally being monitored. This question became more important after both the teams came face to face in the Asian Games final.
After the confirmation that Mohisan Naqvi will not be present on the final day, an important series of questions being raised regarding the medal ceremony has been cleared. Now there will be no situation related to Naqvi’s presence in the presentation before the organizers of the Asian Games, Olympic Council of Asia and Indian Olympic Association.