Asia Cup Glory! India Clinch 9th Title, Skip Ceremony
- By Thetripurapost Desk, Dubai
- Sep 28, 2025
- 278
India lifted the Asia Cup for a record ninth time on Sunday night, defeating arch-rivals Pakistan by five wickets in a tense final at the Dubai International Stadium. But the victory was overshadowed by high drama off the field, as the Indian team refused to accept the trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Chairman and PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi.
The Match
Pakistan innings: After electing to bat, Pakistan were bowled out for 146 in 19.1 overs.
Top scorer: Sahibzada Farhan (57)
Best bowling: Kuldeep Yadav (4 wickets), Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, and Axar Patel (2 each).
India’s chase: Chasing 147, India sealed victory in the final over.
Key knock: Tilak Verma remained unbeaten on 69 runs.
Winning shot: Rinku Singh struck a boundary on the 4th ball of the 20th over.
Player of the Final: Tilak Verma
Trophy Row
Despite their triumph, the Indian team made headlines for rejecting the Asia Cup trophy.
Players declined to receive the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, leading to a one-hour delay in the medal ceremony.
Under Naqvi’s directive, no alternate official was allowed to present it, and the trophy was removed from the ground.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav and teammates then mock-celebrated with an “imaginary trophy.”
At the post-match press conference, Surya remarked:
> “This is the first time since I’ve been playing cricket that the champion team hasn’t been presented with a trophy. But for me, being with my teammates and support staff in the dressing room is the real trophy.”
BCCI’s Stand
BCCI Secretary Devjit Saikia confirmed India’s stance:
“We had decided that the team would not accept the trophy from any PCB official. Naqvi is also the ACC chairman, so our players rightly refused. This does not mean Naqvi can take the trophy to Pakistan. We will raise this strongly at the ICC conference in November.”
Tensions Beyond Cricket
Following the Pahalgam terrorist attack and Operation Sindoor, voices in India had demanded a boycott of matches against Pakistan.
India did not withdraw but kept interactions minimal—no handshakes with Pakistani players throughout the tournament.
After Sunday’s match, Pakistani captain Salman Ali Agha hit out at India:
“By not shaking hands, they’re not disrespecting us, they’re disrespecting cricket.”
On-Field Gesture
During the final, Jasprit Bumrah made headlines for a controversial gesture. After dismissing Haris Rauf, he gestured towards the sky, alluding to a recent plane crash, which drew criticism on social media.
Key Takeaways:
India beat Pakistan by 5 wickets to claim their ninth Asia Cup.
The team refused the trophy from PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi, causing a major controversy.
The BCCI plans to raise the issue at the ICC conference in November.
Off-field tensions overshadowed India’s on-field dominance.