India wins Asia Cup 2025 without Trophy after historic Final Drama

Dramatic Final Victory

The match itself lived up to expectations as Tilak Varma emerged as the hero with an unbeaten 69 runs, guiding India to successfully chase Pakistan's target of 147 runs with just two balls to spare. India had stumbled early in their chase, losing three quick wickets to reach 20/3, but Varma's composed innings alongside crucial contributions from Shivam Dube (33 runs) helped secure the victory.

Pakistan's innings was anchored by Sahibzada Farhan's 57 runs and Fakhar Zaman's 46, but India's disciplined bowling attack, led by Kuldeep Yadav's impressive 4/30, restricted them to 146 runs.

Trophy Controversy Unfolds

The real drama began after the match when India declined to receive the Asia Cup trophy from Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan Cricket Board chairman and Pakistan's Interior Minister. The presentation ceremony was delayed for over an hour as tournament officials scrambled to find a solution.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia explained the team's stance, stating they "decided not to accept the Asia Cup 2025 trophy from the ACC chairman, who represents a country currently at odds with ours". When India's request to receive the trophy from a different official was denied, Naqvi reportedly left the stadium with the trophy and medals.

Players Respond with Mock Celebration

Despite being denied the physical trophy, the Indian team conducted their own celebration on the podium. Captain Suryakumar Yadav mimicked Rohit Sharma's famous 2024 T20 World Cup celebration walk, raising an imaginary trophy while his teammates joined in the festivities.

"I think this is one thing which I have never seen since I started playing and following cricket that a champion team is denied a trophy," Suryakumar said in his post-match interaction. The players later shared social media posts with a makeshift trophy, with Suryakumar writing, "When the game is done, only the champions will be remembered".

The BCCI has announced plans to lodge a formal protest at the upcoming ICC conference in Dubai this November, calling Naqvi's actions "extremely unfortunate and unsportsmanlike". This controversy caps off a tournament that was marred by multiple incidents between the two teams, including refused handshakes and provocative celebrations.