After India’s squad lost the Asia Cup trophy on Sunday night in Dubai, captain Suryakumar Yadav claimed he had “never seen” a champion team denied a well-earned prize. He maintained, however, that he was not “disappointed.”
“This is one thing which I have never seen since I have started playing cricket, since I have started following cricket that a champion team is denied to get a trophy,” Suryakumar stated. It’s not like we acquired it easily, and that too was earned. The tournament was earned. We have been here since September 4th and have played two consecutive successful games. We deserved it, in my opinion. There is nothing more I can say about it because I believe I have summed it up quite nicely.
“We cannot claim to have been let down. However, as you can see, we were grinning broadly while we were on the ground, savouring the occasion on the podium,” he continued.
The post-match presentation was delayed for a long time because India declined to accept the Asia Cup trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board and president of the Asian Cricket Council. The champions didn’t hold a trophy at the conclusion of the evening because of the impasse.
Later, Suryakumar explained that the players, not the officials, had decided not to accept the award from Naqvi. He claimed that he was not aware of any formal correspondence about the presentation between the ACC and the BCCI.
“This [any correspondence between BCCI and ACC] is unknown to me. This call was answered on the ground. We weren’t instructed to do this,” Suryakumar remarked.
When asked to describe the sequence of events that resulted in India refusing to take the prize from Mohsin, Suryakumar decided to downplay it.
“A four was struck by Rinku Singh. The Asia Cup was won by India. Following that, we came out to celebrate and congratulate each player on their accomplishment. Abhishek, Kuldeep, and Tilak received a car. We also celebrated that. What more would you like? This was the sequence of events we aimed to accomplish.
Additionally, we saw that the champions’ (flexi) board moved back and forth. We also witnessed that. It’s all right. It continues to occur. It is a natural part of existence.
However, the Indian skipper made sure his team didn’t miss the moment as the Cup was lifted. He acted out hoisting the medal on the podium, eliciting applause from his teammates.
“If you tell me about the trophies, my trophies are sitting in the dressing room, all the 14 guys, all the support staff,” Suryakumar stated. “Throughout this Asia Cup journey, those are the actual trophies that I have been a huge fan of. These are the actual awards, the actual events that I am reclaiming as priceless memories that will endure forever.
“The victory is significant. Have you seen that ‘India’ was displayed on the large screen following the conclusion of the match? 2025 Asia Cup Champions. What could be better than this now? There are champions listed on each board. Asia Cup 2025. And that’s the only reason you play. And I have no doubt that everyone concurs.
“I believe it was a fantastic moment. Fantastic journey. Excellent marketing for our group. The support personnel will undoubtedly concur as well. And we had a great time,” he added.
Although the event has been full with controversies and diversions, Suryakumar claimed that it had not been hard to avoid outside noise.
When questioned further during the tournament, he joked that his motto was, “Close your room, switch off your phone, and go to sleep.” He had removed social networking apps before landing in Dubai in order to reduce the noise.
Suryakumar stated, “I feel it was not that difficult,” in reference to avoiding distractions off the pitch. “The lads handled it calmly. They were rather pleased with the campaign’s progress. I have been telling them the same thing since day one: Let’s just concentrate on cricket on the ground. Additionally, let’s have fun throughout the practice sessions. Perform the identical actions that we desire in the game.
“I believe the boys interpreted it favourably. The boys stood up when needed, and I believe that’s why we’re still undefeated in the competition. Those, in my opinion, are the little victories and moments that we will carry into the World Cup year.
Suryakumar also declared he will donate his tournament winnings before departing the press conference. His tweet then clarified that he meant the “Indian Armed Forces.” “As a gesture, I want to donate my match fees from all the games in this tournament to the Indian Army,” he tweeted.
“I don’t know if people will call it controversial, but for me, it’s the right thing to do.”
India
