India’s cricket stars turned the Asia Cup final into a memorable showdown against Pakistan, clinching a thrilling five-wicket victory in Dubai on Sunday. Chasing 147, India’s top order stumbled early at 20 for three, but Tilak Varma stepped up big time. The young batter smashed an unbeaten 69 off 53 balls—his fourth T20I half-century—and guided the team home with help from Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube.
The win sparked some cheeky celebrations from the Indian players, aimed right at their Pakistan rivals and PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi. Arshdeep Singh, India’s top T20I wicket-taker, posted an Instagram video mimicking Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed’s signature celebration. He roped in teammates Jitesh Sharma and Harshit Rana for the fun, while Samson grinned from the sidelines.
Even though Hardik Pandya sat out the final due to a minor injury, he joined the party online. The all-rounder recreated his T20 World Cup 2024 victory pose but added a fake Asia Cup trophy to his post for extra flair. Vice-captain Shubman Gill shared a photo with buddy Abhishek Sharma, photoshopping a virtual trophy between them.
Abhishek Sharma, the tournament’s top run-scorer and world number one T20I batter, had some words after his on-field clash with Pakistan’s Haris Rauf. His celebratory caption read: “Wins make the loudest noise, always.” Tilak Varma echoed that vibe in his own post: “Talking is easy, winning takes character.” These subtle jabs highlighted the intense India-Pakistan rivalry in the Asia Cup 2024.
But the night took a dramatic turn during the post-match ceremony. Chaos delayed things by over an hour, and when it finally started, Indian players picked up individual awards like pros. Kuldeep Yadav, Abhishek, and Tilak grabbed their honors from other officials, but the team skipped the main event. Pakistan captain Salman accepted the runners-up check from Naqvi, while the Indians gave him the cold shoulder.
Presenter Simon Doull announced that the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) informed him the Indian team wouldn’t collect their awards that night, wrapping up the ceremony early. Speculation flew, but BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia cleared it up. India refused the Asia Cup trophy from ACC chairman Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan’s interior minister.
“We decided not to take the Asia Cup 2025 trophy from the ACC chairman, who happens to be one of the main leaders of Pakistan,” Saikia told . “It’s unfortunate and unsportsmanlike. We hope the trophy and medals get returned to India soon. We’ll raise a strong protest at the ICC conference in Dubai this November.”
India skipper Suryakumar Yadav didn’t hold back when reporters asked about the snub. “I’ve never seen anything like this since I started playing cricket,” he said. “A champion team denied a hard-earned trophy? We deserved it. But my real trophies are in the dressing room—the 14 players, support staff. That’s what this Asia Cup journey has been about.” The controversy adds another layer to the heated India-Pakistan cricket clashes, leaving fans buzzing about what’s next.
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