The 2025 edition of the Asia Cup final will always live in infamy with the winners India not allowed to celebrate with the trophy after refusing to take it from Pakistan’s Mohsin Naqvi. The lasting image from the delayed presentation ceremony will always be a jubilant Indian team celebrating on the dias without the silverware after their 5-wicket win vs Pakistan.
On Tuesday, a member of the champions Sanju Samson opened up on what transpired with a humorous twist.
“It was a bit strange but we actually have a very positive environment in our dressing room. Even if we don’t have anything, we have to celebrate like we have everything in our hands. So that’s what we did,” Sanju said during the CEAT Cricket Rating Awards.
“It was Arshdeep’s idea. It was just on the spot. We were actually waiting for being given the trophy. But yeah, as you know how it turned out,” Varun Chakaravarthy, another member of the title winning team delved further into the celebrations.
After India won the Asia Cup final by defeating Pakistan — which was the Men in Blue’s third victory over their arch-rivals at the tournament — the presentation ceremony was held up by over an hour as the Indian team refused to accept the winners’ trophy and their individual medals from Naqvi.
The Indian team was displeased by Naqvi’s posts on X before the final. He had reportedly shared a post titled ‘Final Day’ in which Pakistan cricketers, including captain Salman Ali Agha and fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, are seen wearing flight suits with images of airborne fighter jets in the background. Even earlier during the tournament, Naqvi had posted a picture of Cristiano Ronaldo depicting a crashing plane.
Naqvi is not just the chief of the Asian Cricket Council, but also heads the Pakistan Cricket Board and is an Interior Minister back in Pakistan.
After refusing to accept the trophy from Naqvi, the Indians celebrated their triumph at the Asia Cup by lifting an imaginary trophy and posting emojis of trophies on social media.
The BCCI had then claimed that Naqvi had taken the trophy and the medals away. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia wrote to ACC asking for the trophy back. Then, at an online meeting of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) on Wednesday, Saikia exited midway after he failed to get clarity on when India would get the Asia Cup trophy and the players’ medals they won.
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