India’s victory over Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 final was followed by a bizarre post-match controversy, but that did not stop the players from celebrating
in their own way. India’s mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who played a key role in the title clash, responded with one of the cheekiest reactions to the chaos that unfolded after the match.
India secured a five-wicket win in Dubai, but the traditional trophy-lifting ceremony was missing. ACC president and PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi reportedly walked off with the cup and medals after the Indian team refused to accept them from him. The players had requested that Emirates Cricket Board vice-chairman Khalid Al Zarooni present the trophy instead, but the request was rejected, leaving the champions without their rightful symbol of victory.
With the real trophy reportedly in Naqvi’s hotel room, Chakravarthy found a humorous way to express his emotions. On September 29, he posted on X a photo of himself reclining in bed with a tea cup on the side table, humorously suggesting towards the missing cup. He also shared an image of the Indian team pretending to lift an imaginary trophy at the empty podium after the officials had left.
Chakravarthy is no stranger to using a tea cup for humour. After India won the 2025 Champions Trophy, he had posted a photo of himself sipping coffee next to the trophy, joking about the long journey to victory. The Champions Trophy, initially scheduled to be hosted solely by Pakistan, was later turned into a hybrid tournament with the UAE co-hosting, following India’s safety concerns about travelling to Pakistan.
Chakravarthy was not the only player to mock the incident as Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill, and Abhishek Sharma also shared edited images featuring trophy emojis. India skipper Suryakumar Yadav emphasised in his post that it is the champions who are remembered, not the physical trophy.
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