India’s title-winning moment at the Asia Cup ended in controversy when the players refused to accept the trophy during a delayed presentation ceremony in Dubai.
Having beaten Pakistan by five wickets in a tense final, India were due to receive the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, who is both President of the Asian Cricket Council and Pakistan’s Interior Minister. The team, led by captain Suryakumar Yadav, declined to take part in the handover.
The ceremony had already been delayed by more than an hour before officials confirmed that the trophy would not be presented. Only individual awards were collected, and those were handed over by alternative dignitaries rather than Naqvi.
Broadcaster Simon Doull announced to the crowd that India would not be collecting the trophy and declared the presentation concluded. The atmosphere inside the Dubai International Stadium turned from celebratory to confused.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia later said that the team had made a deliberate decision not to receive the trophy from a senior Pakistani government figure. The board is preparing to file an official protest with the ICC at its next meeting in November.
Suryakumar Yadav said in his post-match press conference that he had never seen a winning team denied its trophy, but stressed that the players considered unity and performance to be their real reward.
The incident capped off a politically charged tournament during which Indian players were seen avoiding handshakes with their Pakistani counterparts both before and after matches.
India’s victory had itself been hard-fought. Chasing 146, they stumbled early but were steadied by Tilak Varma, who struck an unbeaten 69 and guided the side home with two balls remaining.
Yet their on-field success was quickly overshadowed by one of the most unusual endings to a major cricket final in recent memory. The Asia Cup ended not with a trophy lift, but with a standoff that is certain to deepen the divide between the two rivals.
