Follow UsAfter India refused to accept the Asia Cup 2025 trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan’s Interior Minister and PCB chairman, the team ended up celebrating on the podium without the silverware. Captain Suryakumar Yadav said he has never witnessed anything like it.
"This is one thing which I have never seen since I have started playing cricket, since I have started following cricket that a champion team is denied to get a trophy. That too a hard-earned one, it's not like we got it easily. It was a hard-earned tournament. We were here since the 4th (September), played two back-to-back good games. I feel we deserved it,” said SKY after India beat Pakistan by five wickets in the final.
“I can't say anything more, I think I have summed it up really well, I can't say anything more about it. We can't say we were disappointed. But if you see, we had a lot of smiles on our faces as we were on the ground enjoying the moment on the podium.”
On the field, Pakistan were cruising at 113/1 in 12.4 overs before collapsing dramatically. They lost nine wickets for just 33 runs and were bowled out for 146 in 19.1 overs. India’s chase also started poorly, with Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill and Suryakumar dismissed for only 20 runs. But Tilak Varma (69* off 53) held firm, with Sanju Samson (24 off 21) and Shivam Dube (33 off 22) guiding the side home with two balls remaining.
Suryakumar added more context to the celebration without the trophy: “Rinku Singh hit a four. India won the Asia Cup. After that, we came out and we were celebrating and we applauded every player's achievement. Tilak, Kuldeep and Abhishek got a car. We celebrated that too. So, what more do you want? This was the chain of events that we wanted to achieve.
"And we also saw that the champions' (flexi) board came and went back. We saw that too. It's okay. It keeps on happening. It's a part of life."
He also clarified that the refusal to collect the trophy was a player’s decision, not a directive from the BCCI. "I have no idea about this (any communication between BCCI and ACC). We took this call on the ground. No one told us to do this," he said.
In a light-hearted moment, Suryakumar mimicked lifting the trophy and walked towards his teammates, similar to what Rohit Sharma did after the 2024 T20 World Cup win. The rest of the squad joined in and posed as if they were holding the real trophy.
"If you tell me about the trophies, my trophies are sitting in the dressing room, all the 14 guys, all the support staff. Those are the real trophies who I have been a big fan of throughout this journey of Asia Cup. Those are the real trophies, the real moments which I am taking back as lovely memories and which will stay forever.
"The win is important. If you have seen after the match ended, 'India' was written on the big screen. Asia Cup 2025 Champions. Now what's better than this? All the boards have champions written on them. 2025 Asia Cup. And you play for that only. And I am sure everyone agrees. I think it was a great moment. Great journey. Great campaign for us as a team. And I am sure the support staff will also agree. And we had a lot of fun.”
All three India-Pakistan fixtures in the tournament were marred by off-field controversy, but SKY credited the dressing room for staying unaffected. “Close your room, switch off your phone and go to sleep.
"I feel it was not that difficult. The boys took it in their stride. They were really happy with the way the campaign was going. Since day one I have been telling them only one thing: Let's just focus on cricket on the ground. And when we go to the practice sessions, let's enjoy what we are doing. Do the same things that we want to do in the game.
"I think the boys took it in a positive way. I feel (to remain) unbeaten in the tournament, the boys stepped up whenever needed. I think those are the small moments, small trophies, which we won going forward into the World Cup year."