After not shaking hands with Pakistan throughout the tournament, India went a step further in the final – refusing to accept the Asia Cup trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President and Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi. The incident unfolded in Dubai after India defeated Pakistan by five wickets to claim the title, but the victory celebrations ended in controversy.
Cricket, they say, is the gentleman’s game. Last night, the gentlemen didn’t show up.
There are few things in South Asia that can stop time the way an India vs Pakistan final does. Streets empty, living rooms erupt, and suddenly cricket is no longer just a sport – it’s a shared fever that grips two nations. Last night’s Asia Cup final had all the makings of one of those rare evenings when rivalry meets artistry. India won, decisively. And yet, when it came time for the trophy ceremony, they turned away. No medals, no trophy. Why? Because the man presenting them was Mohsin Naqvi, the president of the Asian Cricket Council – and, inconveniently for India, a Pakistani.
A Victory Overshadowed
India secured their ninth Asia Cup title with a five-wicket win over Pakistan in Dubai. Pakistan, after a promising start at 113 for 1, collapsed to 146 all out. India chased the total with Tilak Varma anchoring the innings with an unbeaten 69, finishing the match with only two balls to spare. It should have been a night of celebration, the kind of finish that fuels cricketing folklore.
Instead, the drama moved off the pitch. The presentation ceremony, scheduled soon after the match, was delayed by over an hour. When the stage was finally ready, Indian players collected their individual awards – Player of the Match, Player of the Tournament, Most Valuable Player – but refused to accept the winner’s trophy from Naqvi. Simon Doull, the presenter, announced that India would not be collecting the main prize. The ceremony ended abruptly, the trophy quietly removed from the dais, and India’s players celebrated by holding an “imaginary” cup in the middle of the ground.
The Explanations And The Fallout
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia later confirmed that the decision was deliberate. He explained that the team “could not take the Asia Cup trophy from the ACC chairman, who happens to be one of the main leaders of Pakistan.” He added that the BCCI would lodge a strong protest against Naqvi at the upcoming ICC conference in Dubai and demanded that the trophy and medals be returned to India.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav voiced his own frustration. “I think this is one thing which I have never seen since I started playing cricket, that a champion team is denied a trophy, that too a hard-earned one,” he said. He also stressed that the decision was taken collectively by the team.
From Pakistan’s side, captain Salman Agha expressed disappointment, saying that the refusal showed a lack of respect for the sport. The Asian Cricket Council has so far not issued a formal statement.
ACC Chief Warns Against Politicising Sport
Following the Asia Cup final, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X congratulating the Indian team on their win over Pakistan, framing it as a continuation of India’s military operation earlier this year. By tying a sporting victory to a military operation, Modi openly politicized the match and used the team’s success to push a nationalist narrative, turning a cricketing achievement into a statement of aggression rather than celebration.
In response, ACC President Mohsin Naqvi cautioned that linking military conflicts to sporting achievements undermines the spirit of the game. Naqvi stated that no cricket match can change historical events and that politicizing sport exposes desperation while compromising sportsmanship. He emphasized that cricket should remain above politics, and bringing war into sport “disgraces the very spirit of the game.”
Netizens’ Reactions: The Voices Of Twitter/X
Once word spread, social media exploded. Thousands of tweets poured in, making this ceremony omission one of the most talked-about moments in Asia Cup history.
Cricket And The Lost Art Of Grace
Sport, at its best, has always been about transcending the baggage of politics. In 1999, when Pakistan won a thrilling match at Chennai, Indian fans – devastated but gracious – gave Wasim Akram’s team a standing ovation. In 2004, when India toured Pakistan after years of icy silence, Lahore cheered Rahul Dravid’s strokes as warmly as if he were one of their own. Those moments showed that rivalry doesn’t have to mean hostility and that the game can be bigger than the flag.
Sports is often the last refuge of hope, where fans can forget borders and power struggles, if only for a few hours. Last night, that refuge was lost. Cricket didn’t win. Pride didn’t win. Humanity didn’t win. Only politics did – leaving the gentleman’s game looking anything but gentle.
By refusing to accept the trophy, something far bigger than the cup was lost: the spirit of sportsmanship. Victory without grace diminishes the achievement. Politics may have influenced the decision, but history shows cricket has often risen above it. What changed? Has the game lost its sanctity, or have we?
The Asia Cup final of 2025 will be remembered not for India’s performance on the field, but for a trophy ceremony that never happened. While India secured the win, their refusal to accept the trophy overshadowed the achievement and turned the spotlight onto politics rather than cricket.
The scorecard will record a win for India, but history may remember this moment as a loss of sportsmanship and respect – a reminder that triumph means little when it cannot be celebrated with grace.
