NEW DELHI: More than India's Asia Cup victory over Pakistan, it was the post-match presentation that grabbed the spotlight. After the Indian team refused to accept the trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chief Mohsin Naqvi - who also serves as PCB chairman and a Pakistan minister - Naqvi insisted on presenting it himself, turning down the players' request to have a neutral official do the honours.
A video that is doing the rounds on social media showed Naqvi, known for his anti-India rhetoric, leaving the stadium in protest after discussions bore no results.
Naqvi walked off the dais, and officials were later seen taking the trophy away from the podium. The video captured the tense and unexpected moment, which effectively brought the post-match ceremony to a halt.
🚨MOHSIN NAQVI HAS LEFT THE GROUND WITH ASIA CUP TROPHY AFTER INDIA REFUSED TO TAKE FROM HIM 🤯#INDvPAK #indvspak2025 #IndianCricket #INDvsPAK #PAKvsIND pic.twitter.com/Lf61pr5XRD
— RK Azlaan FCB (@Azlaan_FCB) September 28, 2025
India captain Suryakumar Yadav clarified that his team played no role in delaying the presentation ceremony, saying they were waiting patiently on the field. He also quipped that he saw someone run away with the trophy.
Interior Minister of Pakistan Mohsin Naqvi was on stage to present Asia Cup Trophy to Team India.
— Incognito (@Incognito_qfs) September 28, 2025
And Indian Team players were busy on their phones. Ignored him so hard. This is brutal. 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/8jDT1Vq11k
"We didn't close the door and stay inside the dressing room. We didn't make anyone wait for the presentation ceremony, they ran away with the trophy that's what I saw. I'm not sure, some people were recording us but we were just standing there. We didn't go inside," Surya told The Indian Express.
Surya remained unfazed by the entire episode, remarking that the real trophy is winning the hearts of people.
"I won't call it controversy. If you have seen, people have posted photos of trophy here and there. But the real trophy is when you win the hearts of people, the players, the trust you earn, the support staff, the trust they have shown, the people who work behind the scenes, that is the real trophy. The real trophy is the work and effort of so many people on the field," Surya told ANI.
#WATCH | Dubai, UAE: On India refused to accept the Asia Cup 2025 trophy from ACC chairman Mohsin Naqvi, Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav says, "I won't call it controversy. If you have seen, people have posted photos of trophy here and there. But the real trophy is when you win… pic.twitter.com/v33vIktcdr
— ANI (@ANI) September 29, 2025
The skipper also later posted on 'X': "When the game is done, only the champions will be remembered and not the picture of a trophy."