India’s Asia Cup win ended in controversy after captain Suryakumar Yadav’s team refused to accept the trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chief and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also Pakistan’s Interior Minister.
Naqvi insisted he would hand over the trophy, but the Indian players were only willing to receive it from Emirates Cricket Board Vice Chairman Khalid Al Zarooni. The standoff delayed the ceremony by more than an hour, and eventually the trophy presentation was cancelled, with officials taking the trophy away.
The reason behind India’s refusal was said to be Naqvi’s social media reposts, including a picture showing Pakistan cricketers with fighter jets in the background, and another earlier post of Cristiano Ronaldo with a crashing plane.
Suryakumar Yadav expressed disappointment after the match: “I have never seen a champion team not getting a trophy. We deserved it. The real trophies are my 14 teammates and they will stay in my memory.”
This was the third India-Pakistan clash in the tournament, with India winning all three. But relations between the two teams remained tense. India had avoided shaking hands with Pakistani players in the first match, with Suryakumar dedicating that win to the families of soldiers killed in the Pahalgam terror attack.
The attack was followed by India’s Operation Sindoor in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which led to a three-day military standoff. Later, Naqvi even supported a call for Pakistan to boycott the Asia Cup, though it was eventually decided to continue.
On the final night in Dubai, Indian players accepted only the individual awards from other dignitaries and left the ground soon after, without taking part in a trophy presentation ceremony.
