NEW DELHI: Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh launched a scathing attack on Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chief Mohsin Naqvi over the 'trophy' row following the Asia Cup 2025 final.
India were not presented with the trophy after they refused to accept it from Naqvi, who serves as both a minister in the Pakistan government and chairman of the PCB. Naqvi is also known for his outspoken anti-India stance.
The Asia Cup trophy is reportedly still at the Emirates Cricket Board office, and it remains unclear when it will be officially handed over to the winning team.
Mohsin Naqvi to Failed Marshal Asim Munir be like: Huzoor we lost the match but stole the trophy, you can now claim winning the Asia Cup exactly like Operation sindoor where we lost the war and but claimed victory. Typical Pakistanis. Chor!!! pic.twitter.com/LYuDI2Lk2N
— Raja Muneeb (@RajaMuneeb) September 28, 2025
Harbhajan stressed that Naqvi has no authority to decide whether the trophy should be awarded, emphasising that what truly matters is India's victory - their biggest trophy.
"A lot happened during the Asia Cup. About the handshake saga - before that, the bigger question was whether the matches should have happened at all," Harbhajan told IANS. "India won the tournament, and that is their biggest trophy."
"I don't think Naqvi or anyone else is big enough to decide whether the trophy should be awarded or not. If not today, then tomorrow the trophy will be given, so what's the point of keeping it aside? We have won it, and the trophy will come to us one day or another," he added.
The two teams played each other thrice in the tournament with India winning each time, including the final. India maintained a 'no handshake policy' with Pakistan players during the event, infuriating the PCB.
The hostilities between the two neighbours are at an all-time high after the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 Indian tourists were gunned down by Pakistan-backed terrorists.
