Suryakumar Yadav, the captain of India, summed up the strange events that followed his team’s victory in the just finished Asia Cup 2025 final. On Sunday, September 28 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, he guided the Men in Blue to a five-wicket victory over Pakistan, earning India its eighth championship in the event’s history.
He claims that after the Indian players refused to take the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, the head of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), who is also Pakistan’s interior minister, they waited for about an hour. Without the trophy, India ultimately celebrated their historic victory. There had been rumours that the winners had defied orders from the BCCI or government representatives by refusing to take the trophy from Naqvi. The Indian skipper underlined, nevertheless, that the decision was made on the spot by the squad.
“We sat in the dressing room without shutting the door. Everyone was not forced to wait for the presentation ceremony. They fled with the trophy. Trophy leke bhaag gaye woh. I noticed that. We were standing, but I’m not sure if other individuals were filming us.
The Indian Express cited Suryakumar Yadav as saying, “We didn’t go inside.”
Let me start by making it plain that during the competition, neither the BCCI nor the government made any statements indicating that we would not accept a trophy if it were offered. On the ground, we made that decision independently. We were standing underneath the ACC officials who were standing on the stage. I observed them conversing on stage, but I’m not sure what they were discussing. A few people in the crowd began jeering. The captain said, “Then we witnessed their representative stealing the trophy and fleeing.”
The top-order hitter went on to say that the team’s masseuse and support staff took the phones out to the field after the game, rather than the players even going into the changing room to get them. During the post-tournament press conference, Suryakumar Yadav declared that he would be giving the Indian Armed Forces all of his Asia Cup match monies.
On the ground, everyone was having fun. The whole crew celebrated the winners, including Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Kuldeep Yadav, and Abhishek Sharma. They were all clapping and whistling as they stood for them. Our team has that culture,” Suryakumar Yadav remarked.
After we won, I walked to the dressing room and sat there. I had a lot of ideas about what I could do. My friend suggested that I contribute the money after we chatted. I replied, “Okay.” I also believe that this is the ideal time. In addition, I love my country. So why not, if it’s just a little and I can manage it? It originates within me. I will undoubtedly take advantage of every chance I get to perform my best. Everywhere, people work so hard. This is our portion, which is really nothing. “There are people who do a lot of things without expecting anything in return,” the Mumbai native continued.
In the competition, India played Pakistan three times and won each time, including the championship match. Abhishek Sharma was the standout of the first two matches, while spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy held Pakistan to 146 runs in the final. With two balls remaining, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, and Sanju Samson led India to a five-wicket victory, anchoring the team’s chase.
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