'It was a bit strange': Samson and Chakaravarthy talk India’s Asia Cup celebration without trophy

The 2025 Asia Cup final between India and Pakistan will be remembered for more than just the on-field action. Even though India beat Pakistan by 5 wickets to win the title, the team was not allowed to celebrate with the trophy after refusing to take it from Pakistan’s Mohsin Naqvi during the presentation ceremony.

The final image of the match was the Indian team cheering and lifting an imaginary trophy on the stage. Naqvi, who is the current president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), took the trophy away with him after the Indian team refused to share the stage with him and asked for the cup to be handed by someone else.

Meanwhile, the Indian players celebrated on social media with trophy emojis instead of the actual cup.

Samson and Chakravarthy react

Sanju Samson, one of the players part of the winning team, recently talked about the moment during an event in Mumbai. Samson said that it felt a bit strange, but the environment was still positive inside the dressing room. Varun Chakaravarthy explained that it was Arshdeep’s idea to celebrate with the imaginary trophy.

“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,” Samson said at the CEAT Cricket Awards 2025.

“It was Arshdeep’s idea. It was just on the spot. We were actually waiting to be given the trophy. But yeah, as you know how it turned out,” Chakravarthy said.

The presentation ceremony was delayed by over an hour because the Indian team refused to accept the winners’ trophy and individual medals from Naqvi. The decision came after the team was unhappy with Naqvi’s posts on X before the final. Naqvi had shared a picture of Cristiano Ronaldo depicting a plane crash.

Naqvi is also the head of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and serves as the Interior Minister in Pakistan. He is known for making anti-India statements on several occasions. The BCCI is reportedly looking to bring a no-confidence motion against Naqvi in the next ACC meeting.