New Delhi: The Asia Cup 2025 final proved to be the most exciting match in the continental tournament with holders India retaining the title for a second
consecutive time. The Men in Blue engaged in a tough battle with arch-rivals Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday with the finale turning into a spectacle for the audience.
Keeping their nerves tight and exhibiting fine stroke play, patience and calmness, India beat Pakistan by 5 wickets to become the champions for the ninth time in the history. The tournament grabbed the spotlight and remained in the headlines for almost three weeks with the rivalry between India and Pakistan hitting the centerstage.
From noteworthy performances to silly mistakes to the fight between the arch-rivals, this undoubtedly became the most interesting edition of the Asia Cup. India, the most dominant and undefeated team in the Asia Cup produced some remarkable performances with young sensation Abhishek Sharma sizzling for the side. While Abhishek grabbed the limelight in batting, Kuldeep Yadav, the highest wicket-taker, stole the show in the bowling department.
While the entire tournament was an exciting affair, but some acts grabbed the headlines. Let’s take a look at the some of the headline-grabbing acts from Asia Cup.
India’s refusal to take trophy from Mohsin Naqvi
The moment that overshadowed India’s 5-wicket triumph over Pakistan in the Asia Cup final was ACC chief Mohsin Naqvi running away with the trophy to his hotel room. It is being learnt that the Indian team management had pre-informed the organisers of the tournament that they would not accept the trophy if Naqvi, who is also the PCB head, hands it over to them.
Despite being called on to the stage several times, the Indian team led by skipper Suryakumar Yadav didn’t go to collect it making the moment embarrassing for Naqvi. The ACC president walked away with the winners trophy leaving the stage empty and the fans shocked. The BCCI has decided to lodge a complaint against him for ‘stealing’ the trophy saying he could have handed it over to someone else or kept it there.
Handshake row
This began during the league match between India and Pakistan on September 14 as Suryakumar Yadav refused to shake hands with his counterpart Salman Ali Agha during the toss. The refusal of the customary gesture continued after the match ended as India walked away straight to their dressing room post their victory.
This cold war continued in the Super Four clash as well and was put in place by India in the finale as well leaving the Pakistan side frustrated. Ahead of the summit clash, Suryakumar Yadav also refused to participate in the trophy photoshoot. The Indian captain, though, has shook hands with Pakistan skipper Agha and PCB chief Naqvi before the start of the tournament.
Aggressive gesture to gun-fire celebration
After the Indian skipper refused to shake hands with the Pakistani counterpart during the first league game, it was followed by Pakistan reciprocating in their own ‘insensitive manner’. Pakistan batter Sahibzada Farhan, after completing his half-century in the Super Four clash resorted to a gun-fire celebration which was found to be insensitive by the Indian players and audience considering the April 26th’s Pahalgam terror attack.
To double it, pacer Haris Rauf too mocked the Indian viewers and audience sitting in the stands by gesturing about falling planes. Jasprit Bumrah after dismissing Rauf in the finale gave it back by mocking him in the same manner. This was followed by India complaining about both the players to the ICC which in turn penalised Rauf and let go Farhan with a warning.
The PCB had also complained to the global governing body after Suryakumar Yadav dedicated the first league win to Indian armed forces. He was also penalised with a warning of not repeating anything which turns sports into politics.
Abhishek Sharma’s standout performance
While the drama surrounding the India-Pakistan rivalry grabbed the headlines, but there were certain performances that mesmerised the audience. Abhishek, who finished as the highest run-scorer in the Asia Cup 2025 with 314 runs in 7 innings, stole the show with his spectacular batting in all the matches. The final game though did not go in his favour as the swashbuckling batter was out after scoring just 5 runs. His runs came at a impressive strike rate of 200 and an average of almost 45 as he was responsible for giving India all the fiery starts in the event.
Kuldeep Yadav excels
While Abhishek starred for India with the bat, it was Kuldeep Yadav who proved as the wrecker-in-chief with the ball for the Men in Blue. The Chinaman finished as the highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 17 scalps, claiming four in the grand finale against the arch-foes. At an average of 9.29 and the best bowling stats of 4/9 against UAE, Kuldeep was the standout bowler who helped India maintain their unbeaten streak in Asia Cup.
![[WATCH] Asia Cup 2025, Final: Jasprit Bumrah cleans up Haris Rauf, celebrates with ‘fighter jet’ gesture](https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1759075701586_Jasprit-Bumrah.jpeg)
