Despite leading India to a dominant Asia Cup victory over Pakistan, skipper Suryakumar Yadav walked away without the tournament trophy in hand, but certainly not without pride.
In a rare and controversial post-match scenario, the Indian team refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president and Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, citing his political stance and recent crypic posts on social media.
The ceremony, delayed and then abruptly ended, saw no team trophy presentation, a first in international cricket memory.
“I think this is one thing I’ve never seen since I started playing and following cricket, that a champion team is denied a trophy,” said Suryakumar.
“It was a hard-earned tournament win. We were here since September 4. Two strong games back-to-back. I feel we deserved it.”
Still, the Indian skipper remained composed and philosophical.
Rather than dwell on the missing silverware, Suryakumar turned attention to his squad.
“If you’re talking about trophies, mine are sitting in the dressing room, all 14 guys and the support staff. These are the real trophies. These are real moments I’m taking back,” he said.
He later posted on social media platform 'X', “When the game is done, only the champions will be remembered, not the picture of a trophy.”
At the post-match press conference, Suryakumar was questioned by Pakistani journalists, who accused him of politicizing the sport by refusing to shake hands with his counterpart Salman Ali Agha and skipping the customary pre-final photoshoot. In a calm and witty exchange, he deflected criticism with grace.
“You’re getting angry, right? Why are you getting so angry?” he joked, addressing one of the reporters.
When asked if the BCCI had instructed the team not to accept the trophy from Naqvi, Surya was firm, “I have no idea about an email. We took this call on the ground. No one told us to do this. If you win a tournament, don’t you deserve the trophy? You tell me.”
The reporter, reportedly from Pakistan, quietly nodded in agreement.
Despite the absence of an official trophy handover, the team made sure to create their own memories. An AI-generated image of Surya and Tilak holding the Asia Cup circulated on social media, prompting more questions from reporters.
“You haven’t seen the trophy? I’ve brought it,” Surya quipped. “Abhishek and Shubman have already posted the photo. It looks so good. See, how it is.”
Asked to explain the sequence of events after the final, he replied with a smile, “Rinku Singh hit a four. India won the Asia Cup. We came out, celebrated each player’s performance. Tilak, Kuldeep, and Bhai (Abhishek) got a car. What more do you want? That was the chain of events we wanted.”
As the champions left without their trophy, Suryakumar showed the maturity of a true leader, summing it all up with a shrug, “It’s okay. It keeps on happening. It’s a part of life.”
(With inputs from PTI)