New Delhi: Indian cricketers did not let the trophy snub controversy dampen their spirits, instead finding an ingenious way to celebrate their monumental
Asia Cup 2025 win. The Men in Blue defeated arch-rivals Pakistan by 5 wickets in a nail-biting final in Dubai on Sunday to win a record-extending ninth continental title.
However, Suryakumar Yadav & Co. couldn’t celebrate the historic occasion by lifting the trophy, as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chief, Mohsin Naqvi, denied them the opportunity to get their hands on the coveted prize.
After Indian players refused to take the silverware from Naqvi, the Interior Minister of Pakistan decided to take the trophy away to the hotel. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed the developement and said that India will lodge a “very strong protest” against Naqvi at the ICC meeting in November.
Nevertheless, Indian cricketers found a way to pose with the trophy. Following the thrilling win, Suryakumar Yadav, Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya mocked Naqvi by adding trophy emoticons to their pictures on social media.
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India hold their nerve
Despite being behind in the game for long periods, India held their nerves to edge out Pakistan for the third time in the Asia Cup 2025. The Men in Blue were aided by Pakistan, who pushed the panic button despite making a superb start during both innings (with the bat and ball). Salman Agha’s men suffered a dramatic batting collapse, losing their last nine wickets for 33 runs to finish at 146 all out and allowing India to make a comeback.
The Men in Green started superbly with the ball too, taking three Indian wickets for just 20 runs, but with some sloppy fielding and questionable captaincy decisions, they gave India a sniff. It is all the T20 world champions needed to turn the tables on their bitter rivals. Tilak Varma showed nerves of steel to steer India to a memorable win with an unbeaten 69-run knock. He was ably supported by Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube, who both contributed in crucial partnerships with the Mumbai batter.
