Suryakumar Yadav Opens Up On Being Denied Trophy: 'Teammates Real Silverware'

Suryakumar Yadav's teammates are his real trophy, the Indian captain said at the post-match press conference after being denied the trophy despite winning the final of the Asia Cup 2025. Yadav's men won the final by five wickets but refused to take the trophy from Asian Cricket Council chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the Pakistan Cricket Board chief and the 'Interior Minister'. Naqvi has also made controversial posts about India on social media.

India's refusal to take the trophy from the Pakistani minister led to him taking the trophy with himself. The presentation ceremony after India's five-wicket win was concluded with Naqvi leaving the dais with the trophy and going away with it.

Yadav said he had never seen anything like that in his entire playing career.

"I think this is one thing which I have never seen since I started playing and following cricket that a champion team is denied a trophy. I mean that too a hard-earned one. It's not like it happened easily. It was a hard earned tournament win," Suryakumar said.

"We were here since September 4, we played a game today. Two back-to-back good games in two days. I feel we deserved it. And I can't say anything more. I think I have summed it up really well," the Indian skipper tried to hide his disappointment behind a smile.

Yadav went on to say that his teammates and the support staff are the "real" trophies for him.

"If you tell me about the trophies, my trophies are sitting in my dressing room. All the 14 guys with me. All the support staff. Those are the real trophies. These are real moments which I am taking back as lovely memories which will stay with me forever going forward. And that's all."

India vs Pakistan Final

Tilak Varma kept his calm to hit a final-over maximum and guide India to their ninth Asia Cup title, following a five-wicket win over arch-rivals Pakistan in a thrilling final in Dubai on Sunday.

Needing 10 off the last over, Tilak deposited the controversial trouble monger Haris Rauf into mid-wicket stands before Rinku Singh, getting his first hit of the tournament, sent the Indian fans into delirium with a winning boundary.

Earlier, Kuldeep Yadav engineered a dramatic Pakistan collapse with his four-wicket haul to bundle out the Men In Green for just 146 despite being 113/1 at one point.