Tensions ran high after India’s T20 team clinched the Asia Cup 2025 title, with captain Suryakumar Yadav at the center of a significant controversy. The Indian squad chose not to shake hands with Pakistani players and declined to accept the trophy from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi, sparking widespread debate about the entanglement of politics in sports during the post-match press conference.
The decision by the Indian team to avoid handshakes with their Pakistani counterparts throughout the tournament had already drawn criticism from Pakistani journalists, who argued it was a breach of cricketing spirit.
The situation escalated when the Indian side refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy from Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan’s Interior Minister and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president, known for his reported anti-India sentiments. Consequently, Naqvi departed the venue with the trophy, leaving the Indian players to celebrate their victory with what was described as an “imaginary” trophy.
During the ensuing press conference, a Pakistani journalist directly challenged Suryakumar Yadav regarding his team’s conduct, posing a series of pointed questions: “Today you are champions, you played a great game. But the question is, throughout this tournament your behavior towards the Pakistan team has been noticed — you didn’t do handshakes, you didn’t take part in the photo session with the trophy, then you held a political press conference. Do you think that in the history of cricket you are the first captain who has brought politics into the game of cricket?”
Despite attempts by the Indian media manager to intervene, Yadav chose to respond, saying, “Do I have to answer or not? Gussa ho rahe ho aap (You’re getting angry). I couldn’t even understand your question — you asked four questions at the same time.”
Following the conclusion of the tournament, Yadav made a notable announcement: he would donate his match fees from all games played in the tournament to the Indian Army, stating, “I want to give my match fees from all the games which I have played in this tournament to the Indian Army.”
This entire episode underscored the deepening tensions between the two cricketing nations, with the handshake boycott and the trophy presentation controversy largely overshadowing India’s impressive triumph in the Asia Cup 2025.