NEW DELHI: Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav was On Thursday cautioned by ICC match referee Richie Richardson to avoid making remarks that could be interpreted as political. The directive came during an official hearing convened after the Pakistan Cricket Board lodged a complaint.

The hearing followed Surya's plea of not guilty regarding his post-match comments, in which he had expressed support for Indian Army personnel involved in Operation Sindoor and extended solidarity to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack.

Meanwhile, a separate hearing on the BCCI's complaint against Pakistan's Sahibzada Farhan and Haris Rauf is scheduled for Friday, as the duo was in action against Sri Lanka in an Asia Cup clash on Thursday.

It is learnt that the PCB lodged its complaint within the mandated seven-day window following the September 14 India-Pakistan clash, where Suryakumar Yadav declined to shake hands and later dedicated the win to the Indian armed forces for their role in Operation Sindoor in May. He also voiced solidarity with the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack during both the prize presentation ceremony and the post-match press conference.

"Surya attended the ICC hearing today. He was accompanied by BCCI's COO and Cricket Operations Manager. Richardson explained to him that he shouldn't be making any comments that could be seen as political in nature.

"The sanction can't be ascertained. Since it falls under Level 1, it could either be a warning or a financial penalty of 15 percent deductions in match fees. Surya had plead not guilty and that's why hearing took place," a tournament source privy to the details told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

Earlier, India had filed an official complaint with the ICC against Pakistan cricketers Rauf and Farhan for their provocative gestures during the two sides' Asia Cup Super 4 game here last Sunday.

It is reliably learnt that the BCCI filed the complaint against the duo on Wednesday and the ICC is in receipt of the e-mail.

Rauf, Sahibzada gestures

During the September 21 match, Rauf had made gestures to depict the bringing down of a plane to mock India's military action after Indian supporters chanted "Kohli, Kohli" referring to the couple of match-winning sixes that the Indian legend hit off the pacer at MCG during a T20 World Cup game in 2022.

During the match, he hurled abuses at Indian openers Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma during his bowling spell, and the two youngsters responded with their bats.

Sahibzada, during the same match, celebrated with a gun-firing gesture using his bat as a machine gun prop, something that has been widely criticised.

"That celebration was just a moment at that time. I do not do a lot of celebrations after scoring 50. But, it suddenly came to my mind that let's do a celebration today. I did that. I don't know how people will take it. I don't care about that," Farhan had told reporters after the match.

Both Rauf and Sahibzada will have to explain their gestures at the hearing and if the players' answers are not convincing, then they could face sanctions as per the code of conduct.

Naqvi posts cryptic CR7 video on 'X'

Adding fuel to the fire, Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Wednesday posted a slow-motion video of Cristiano Ronaldo on 'X', where the Portuguese legend is seen gesturing that an aircraft suddenly crashed, something that Rauf indicated on-field last Sunday.

Naqvi, apart from also being the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, is the interior minister of his country and is known to make provocative statements against India.

Ronaldo, in the video, could be explaining how his direct free-kick dipped and entered the goal.

After this, whether the Indian team, which is now the finalist of the Asia Cup, share the dais with the ACC Chairman is something that remains to be seen.

The matter hasn't gone unnoticed as far as both BCCI and ICC mandarins are concerned. Only time will tell if there will be some kind of action taken against Naqvi.