India Vs Pakistan, Asia Cup Controversy: When Politics Took Centrestage - A Timeline Of All That Happened

India won the Asia Cup 2025 final on Sunday (September 28), defeating Pakistan by five wickets at the Dubai International Stadium. Tilak Varma's composed 69 not out was the highlight of Team India's chase. But despite impressive performances from Suryakumar Yadav’s men throughout their victorious campaign, the spotlight remains squarely on the raging on and off-field controversies with Pakistan.

Bad blood has pervaded India-Pakistan cricket matches for decades. It involves politics, governments, cricket boards and celebrities, making it a complex and multi-faceted issue that transcends the sport itself.

This rivalry is often fuelled by historical, cultural and geopolitical tensions, which can manifest in various ways, including controversy and drama surrounding matches. This time around, trouble surfaced right at the beginning when the Asia Cup T20 tournament was announced in the midst of tensions between the two nations after India's Operation Sindoor, a reply to the Pahalgam terror attack where 26 civilians were killed.

Before Asia Cup 2025

The 2025 Champions Trophy was originally slated to be hosted solely by Pakistan, but the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) — based on advice by the Indian government — swiftly stated that the Indian team won’t travel there amid existing political tensions between the two countries. Consequently, India played all their matches in the United Arab Emirates.

This was followed by the Pahalgam terror attacks, which further intensified the bitterness between the two nations.

The script had to be flipped, with India now holding the hosting rights for the 2025 Asia Cup. Pakistan declined travelling to India, prompting dialogue between the two cricket boards. With the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) standing firm, the BCCI eventually agreed to host the tournament at a neutral venue, the United Arab Emirates again.

There were vociferous calls for India to boycott the Asia Cup from some fans and sections of Indian society, who felt it wasn't morally correct to play Pakistan or share space in a tournament with them. However, India decided to proceed and the tournament commenced on September 9.

During Asia Cup 2025

India remained unbeaten in the 2025 edition of the continental event, starting with a comfortable win against UAE on September 10. The stage was then set for the highly anticipated clash between India and Pakistan, which took place on September 14, the first of their three encounters in the Asia Cup.

India won the match in a one-sided fashion by seven wickets with 25 balls to spare. However, the real talking point wasn't cricket, but the controversy surrounding India's decision to deny handshakes with Pakistan as a sign of protest. This gesture was reportedly a directive from the BCCI and the Indian government, perceived as a show of solidarity with the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack.

Handshake Controversy

PCB reacted strongly to the handshake refusal, filing a complaint against match referee Andy Pycroft. The board alleged Pycroft instructed the captains to skip handshakes, favouring India, but the International Cricket Council (ICC) defended Pycroft's actions, stating he was following Asian Cricket Council (ACC)’s directions to avoid a politically sensitive gesture.

The ICC ultimately rejected PCB's demand to remove Pycroft from the tournament, backing his role in upholding the sport's integrity.

India eventually secured a spot in the Super Fours with one game to spare. Pakistan, however, needed a win against UAE to stay in contention, which they managed, setting up another highly anticipated India-Pakistan match in the next stage.

PCB protested against Andy Pycroft officiating the match, but the ICC denied their plea. The two teams clashed again on September 21, with India registering another win, this time by six wickets.

Pakistan’s ‘6-0’, Rauf’s ‘Fighter Jet’ Celebrations

Before their second clash, controversy brewed again as Pakistan players were reportedly heard yelling ‘6-0’ during practice, referencing their claims of shooting down six Indian fighter jets during Operation Sindoor.

The situation escalated when Haris Rauf took it a step further, performing a ‘jet plane’ celebration in an apparent attempt to mock Indian supporters, drawing widespread criticism and adding fuel to the already burning bridges between the two countries.

During this match, there were several heated exchanges between the players. Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill, India's openers, responded to Pakistan's aggression with their own brand of fire, determined to silence Pakistan pacers Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf.

One notable incident occurred when Gill smashed Rauf's delivery to the leg side, prompting Abhishek to seize the opportunity and exchange words with the pacer.

While India secured a spot in the Asia Cup final with comfortable victories over Pakistan and Bangladesh, their arch-rivals had to win their game against Bangladesh to advance.

This led to the third encounter between India and Pakistan in the tournament, marking the first Asia Cup title meeting between the two sides in 41 years.

Asia Cup 2025 Final

The tension was palpable from the start. When India captain Suryakumar and Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha met for the toss, they didn't shake hands, like in the previous two encounters.

As the teams lined up for their national anthems, things took a turn for the worse. While India's anthem was playing, Afridi and Rauf were caught on camera chatting casually, which sparked outrage among fans, who felt it was a disrespectful gesture.

The match itself was intense, with India's Jasprit Bumrah delivering a stunning yorker to dismiss Rauf in the 18th over. Bumrah didn't hold back, seemingly mimicking Rauf's ‘fighter jet’ celebration from their previous encounter in the Super Four stage. It was clear that this match was about more than just cricket.

The final went down to the wire and India won in the last over with two balls to spare.

All That Happened After Final

After India's nail-biting win, a fresh controversy erupted during the post-match presentation ceremony. The Indian players refused to accept the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, the Asian Cricket Council chairman and Pakistan's interior minister, who waited on stage for nearly 20 minutes.

The deadlock continued until Naqvi eventually walked off the stage and the trophy was taken away, causing the ceremony to be postponed by around 75 minutes.

The Indian fans in the stadium expressed their disapproval by chanting "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" and booing Naqvi loudly. However, the drama didn't end there, as Rauf was booed by the crowd with chants of "Kohli! Kohli!", and Agha was also jeered. The Pakistan captain reacted by throwing away the runners-up cheque before leaving the field.

Despite the controversy, the Indian players celebrated their victory by lifting an imaginary trophy, and later on social media, with some of them mocking the Pakistani players' celebrations. Arshdeep Singh, Jitesh Sharma and Harshit Rana poked fun at Abrar Ahmed's signature head-tilt celebration, while Varun Chakravarthy posted a symbolic image of a lone teacup, highlighting the missing trophy.

Suryakumar and opener Abhishek Sharma addressed the media in the wake of India’s ninth Asia Cup title triumph.

After India won, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, "#OperationSindoor on the games field. Outcome is the same - India wins! Congrats to our cricketers." The post expectedly led to jingoistic reactions from numerous online warriors, and counter-reactions from Pakistanis.

Naqvi, too, responded to Modi’s tweet. "If war was your measure of pride, history already records your humiliating defeats at Pakistan's hands. No cricket match can rewrite the truth. Dragging war into sports only exposes your desperation and disgraces the very spirit of the game," his post read.

Agha also criticized India's behaviour, calling it "disrespect to cricket". Meanwhile, Suryakumar announced that he would donate his match fees to the Indian Armed Forces and families of the Pahalgam terror attack victims.

Agha later stated that his team would donate their match fees to Pakistani civilians affected “by India's attack”, adding the final touches of politics to the burgeoning stand-off.