Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav said his team were denied the chance to hoist the trophy as it was removed from the presentation ceremony following their refusal to accept it from Mohsin Naqvi, interior minister of Pakistan<\/a> and chairman of the Asian Cricket Council. <\/p>\n Pakistani captain Salman Agha said India<\/a> had \u201cdisrespected cricket\u201d.<\/p>\n India beat Pakistan by five wickets in the final at the Dubai International Stadium. The match was held amid heightened tensions between the two countries following a brief military conflict in May that left dozens of people dead.<\/p>\n The teams met three times at the tournament and Indian players refused to shake the hands of their opponents throughout. <\/p>\n The final ended in bizarre circumstances with India celebrating their win by hoisting an imaginary trophy.<\/p>\n The presentation ceremony was first delayed, prompting speculation as to the reason, and then cut short just before the winner’s trophy was about to be handed over.<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav, right, pretends to hold the trophy as his team celebrate their Asia Cup victory (AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n \u201cI have been informed by the Asian Cricket Council that the Indian cricket team will not be collecting their awards,\u201d Simon Doull, who conducted the presentation, announced.<\/p>\n Indian cricket board secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed their players refused to receive the trophy from Naqvi.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have decided not to take the Asia Cup trophy from the ACC chairman, who happens to be one of the main leaders of Pakistan,” Saikia told news agency ANI. <\/p>\n Naqvi is also the chairperson of the Pakistan Cricket Board.<\/p>\n \u201cSo we decided not to take it from him. But that does not mean the gentleman will take away the trophy with him along with the medals. So it is very unfortunate and we hope that the trophy and the medals will be returned to India as soon as possible. There is an ICC conference in November in Dubai. In the next conference, we are going to launch a very serious and very strong protest against the act of the ACC chairperson.”<\/p>\n \u201cI think this is one thing that I\u2019ve never seen since I started playing cricket, and started following cricket, that a champion team is denied a trophy, that too a hard-earned one,” Yadav told reporters later. “I feel we deserved it. I can’t say anything more, I\u2019ve summed it up really well. My trophies are sitting in the dressing room, all the 14 guys with me, the support staff, those are the real trophies throughout this journey in the Asia Cup.”<\/p>\n Some local news outlets reported that the organisers left the ceremony with the Asia Cup trophy after the Indian team refused to take it.<\/p>\n Tempers were frayed and <\/a>emotions ran high as the two teams met for the first time in the tournament <\/a>on 14 September and again a few days later.<\/p>\n Yadav referred to the military conflict in May and dedicated his team\u2019s victory against Pakistan in the 14 September match to the armed forces back home.<\/p>\n After the final, Yadav said all that mattered was that India were champions once again.<\/p>\n![\"India's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/TOPSHOT-CRICKET-ASIA-2025-T20-IND-PAK-bxuofp11.jpeg\")
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![\"Team](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/APTOPIX-Emirates-Asia-Cup-Cricket-pfb3shnt.jpeg\")
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