 "The Indian team refused to accept the trophy as well as the winners' medals from PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the ACC president, after defeating Pakistan in the final of the Asia Cup. Reuters/AP")
The 2025 Asia Cup witnessed plenty of drama between India and Pakistan, both on as well as off the field, and it was inevitable for the tournament to end on a turbulent note. The Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian team had refused to shake hands against members of the Pakistan cricket team, in each of their three meetings in the 17th edition of the continental tournament.
And on Sunday, following India’s thrilling five-wicket victory over Pakistan , Surya and Co did not accept the winners’ medals as well as the trophy in protest against Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the president of the Asian Cricket Council and was supposed to play a key role in the post-match formalities.
Naqvi’s presence in the final had led to the post-match presentation ceremony getting delayed by an hour after Tilak Varma helped India chase the 147-run target down with a brilliant unbeaten 69 .
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Once the presentation got underway, the Pakistan team walked up to the dias to receive their runners-up medals, with Tilak and opener Abhishek Sharma collecting their respective awards after being adjudged the ‘Player of the Final’ and the ‘Player of the Tournament’ respectively.
The ceremony, however, came to a premature end with presenter Simon Doull announcing on the broadcast that the Men in Blue had refused to accept the trophy as well as their medals, which was likely the reason behind the hour-long delay in the first place.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsCaptain Surya later conducted a “mock trophy celebration” with his teammates as well as the rest of the Indian contingent after the conclusion of the presentation, holding an imaginary trophy in his hands while doing the strut towards his teammates – much like Lionel Messi in the 2022 FIFA World Cup and Rohit Sharma in last year’s T20 World Cup.
Naqvi, who had delivered the runners-up cheque to Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha, stormed off the ground with the trophy also being taken away after India’s refusal to accept it from the Pakistani politician-cum-cricket administrator.
Several Pakistani cricketers were booed by the crowed while they walked up to the stage to collect their runners-up medals during the delayed ceremony.
Why Mohsin Naqvi’s presence led to India boycotting presentation ceremony
The tournament, after all, took place in the shadow of war and terrorism, with the Pahalgam terror attack and the subsequent military conflict between the two nations having taken place in April and May – less than six months ago.
India skipper Surya had dedicated his team’s seven-wicket victory over their arch-rivals during the group stage to the victims of the Pahalgam attack as well as the Indian armed forces, who had responded to the deadly incident with a series of precision strikes codenamed ‘Operation Sindoor’.
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Meanwhile, some of the Pakistani cricketers had courted controversy during the course of the Asia Cup, especially pacer Haris Rauf who had made “6-0” and “fighter jet” gestures towards Indian spectators in the stands during the Super 4s meeting between the two sides.
The gestures were a reference to the Pakistani armed forces’ claim of having shot down six Indian fighter jets, including their recently-acquired Rafale aircrafts – a claim that has been strongly disputed by New Delhi.
Amid the handshake and “6-0” drama, Naqvi – who also happens to the Federal Interior Minister of Pakistan – attempted to troll India and its cricket team by sharing a clip of football star Cristiano Ronaldo making a hand gesture that was similar to Rauf’s “fighter jet” gesture.
Ronaldo hand gesture might not have had anything to do with the recent Indo-Pak conflict, but Naqvi’s intention clearly was to troll the neighbours to the east. And what drew Naqvi further criticism was the fact that he was publishing such inflammatory posts while heading the ACC – of which India is a key member.