India skipper Suryakumar Yadav was left near speechless after his side was robbed of the Asia Cup 2025 trophy under extraordinary conditions, as Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Mohsin Naqvi walked out of the Dubai International Stadium with the silverware. Indian players were adamant during the post-match ceremony, not accepting the trophy from Naqvi a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman and Pakistan's Interior Minister.
But despite all the controversies, the Indian skipper took a big step and donated all his match fees of Asia Cup 2025 for the Indian Army.
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The tournament had already been charged with tension between the two bitter rivals. From India snubbing handshakes for Pakistan to Pakistan's on-field jibes, the Asia Cup witnessed tempers flare on more than one occasion. But the final turned out to be the most gutter-esque flashpoint yet, with the presentation ceremony being delayed by almost an hour in midst of utter chaos. According to protocol, the trophy presentation is the responsibility of the ACC president, but the Indian team indicated they would not accept the award from Naqvi, who has always been criticized for bias and promoting Pakistan's agenda at the expense of neutrality.
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When the ceremony finally resumed, Naqvi emerged onto the stage as individual awards were presented to Kuldeep Yadav and Abhishek Sharma. But as soon as the team trophy was to be awarded, broadcaster Simon Doull suddenly closed the ceremony, stating, "I have been told by the Asian Cricket Council that the Indian cricket team will not be receiving their awards tonight. So that does wrap up the post-match presentation."
Subsequently, Suryakumar spoke to the media with Abhishek, conceding he had never seen anything like this in his life. He maintained, nonetheless, that the lack of a trophy did not take away from India's victory, since the whole world understood who the real champions were.
"This is one thing which I have never seen. Since I started playing cricket, I have been following cricket. That a champion team is denied a trophy. That too, a hard earned one. It's not like it happened easily. But it was a hard-earned victory. We have been here since the 4th, and played a game today. Two back-to-back good games in two days. I feel we deserved it. And I can't say anything more. I think I have summed it up really well," Suryakumar Yadav said
Also Read: Mohsin Naqvi shamefully steals the Asia Cup trophy, runs away with it to spoil India’s celebration
"If you tell me about the trophies. My trophies are sitting in my dressing room. All 14 guys are with me. All the support staff. Those are the real trophies. I have been a big fan of these boys throughout this journey of the Asia Cup. Since we came here, we have played this tournament. We started our preparations. I think those are the real trophies. Real moments which I am taking back as lovely memories which will stay with me forever going forward. And that's all," he added.
Fueling further fire, Naqvi previously fueled controversy after he ridiculed Indian supporters, drawing comparisons with Pakistan's assertion that it had shot down Indian fighter jets during Operation Sindoor an operation targeted at terrorist strongholds along the border. Taking advantage of his office and social media handles, Naqvi consistently opted to promote Pakistan's narrative rather than upholding the impartiality and dignity required of the ACC president.