The Indian team stayed firm on their stand on Sunday. They boycotted PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi and refused to accept the Asia Cup 2025 trophy. Naqvi, also the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chief, was present to hand the trophy. But India did not step on stage.
The presentation was delayed by almost an hour. Pakistan players refused to leave the dressing room after their loss. When Naqvi finally walked up on stage, Indian fans booed him loudly. Chants of “Bharat Mata ki Jai” echoed across the Dubai stadium.
Indian Team Denied Player Medals, Suryakumar Yadav Calls Indian Squad his Trophies
Broadcaster Simon Doull started the ceremony after a long wait. Tilak Varma collected the Player of the Match award for his unbeaten 69. Kuldeep Yadav, who took four wickets, and Shivam Dube, who scored 33, also got their awards. Abhishek Sharma was named Player of the Tournament.
Pakistan players then came out to collect their runners-up medals. Salman Agha spoke briefly about the loss. But when fans expected the Indian team to be called up, Doull surprised everyone. He announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, I have been informed by the Asian Cricket Council that the Indian cricket team will not be collecting their awards tonight. So that does conclude the post-match presentation.”
According to reports, the Indian camp had earlier asked who would present the trophy. Once they knew it would be Naqvi, they made it clear they would not accept it. Organisers later carried the trophy quietly into India’s dressing room.
Watch: Salman Ali Agha Throws Cheque in front of Mohsin Naqvi
Pakistan’s poor run against India continued with a third loss in three weeks. This one hurt the most as it was the final. India chased 147 to win their ninth Asia Cup title.
Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha admitted his disappointment. “It is tough one to swallow. We couldn’t finish nicely with the bat. Bowling we were outstanding but if we could have finished well, it would have been a different story,” he said.
But frustration boiled over when he received the runners-up cheque. Agha threw the cheque away in anger, showing his disappointment with the result.
