A loss is never easy to take. Let alone one that comes against your bitter rival.
Pakistan’s loss to India in the 2025 Asia Cup final was surely a ‘tough pill to swallow’ for the Men in Green, admitted PAK skipper Salman Ali Agha at the post-match presentation in Dubai on Sunday.
India held their nerve in a thrilling chase to beat arch-rivals Pakistan by five wickets in a tense Asia Cup 2025 final, sealing yet another continental crown in front of a packed crowd in Dubai.
Masterful batting from India’s Tilak Varma (69*) and wizardry with the ball from Kuldeep Yadav (4/30) combined perfectly to power the Men in Blue to their ninth Asia Cup trophy.
A disappointed Salman Agha, who was seen seemingly tossing away the runners-up cheque callously during
the post-match presentation, admitted that the onus ultimately fell on their batters to have done better in the encounter.
Salman Ali Agha throws away the cheque that Pakistan got as a runner up of this Asia Cup.#INDvsPAK #INDvPAK https://t.co/ylxe6EcPMu pic.twitter.com/GgffWVvIbU
— Mayank (Sports Analyst) (@mayankglt) September 28, 2025
“It is a tough pill to swallow right now. We lost wickets while batting, we were outstanding with the ball, but didn’t have enough runs on the board. We didn’t rotate strike and lost too many wickets. We have to sort out our batting very soon,” the PAK skipper stated in the post-match interview.
Despite the tough loss, Agha still took time to congratulate the Men in Blue, especially their bowling attack, which choked out the Pakistan batters in the second half of their innings.
“They (India) bowled outstandingly well, they (India) needed 63 from 6 overs, and I thought we had the game. But the batting was what cost us the game,” Agha added.
“I am very proud of the team, and there is so much to look forward to. We will work hard and come back stronger.”
