India captain Suryakumar Yadav firmly stated that while his team never made any gestures or provocative hand movements during their match against Pakistan, but the same cannot be said about their arch-rivals. Though the Men in Green were constantly trying to rile up the Indian batters during the final, Suryakumar & Co. ended up giving them a fitting response on the field and chased down the 147-run target in the final with just two deliveries left to spare.
Following India's five-wicket victory, Suryakumar didn't hold back and called out the Pakistan team for not playing with dignity and rather wanted to make a statement. He further revealed the advice that he gave to his players in order to help them control their emotions on the field during the final.
Suryakumar's fiery remarks on Pakistan
“I think there has to be a difference between the two sides," Suryakumar told NDTV. “We never made any gesture, no hand movements. We wanted to play the game with dignity. They wanted to make a statement outside," Suryakumar said at the post-match press-conference.
“The result can go in any team’s favour. But when you come back, you should be happy with the effort you gave, the game you played. From outside, people think a lot happens, but I told the players, ‘Let’s keep the emotions aside and play a good game. Whatever comes at the end, we’ll take it’," he added.
There were a total of three occasions where India and Pakistan locked horns against each other in Asia Cup 2025. All the matches were marred with drama and controversies, however the biggest controversy of them all occurred following the conclusion of the final.
India celebrated without the trophy
India had already made their stance clear and had refused to take the title from Mohsin Naqvi, who is the Chairman of both the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Asian Cricket Council (ACC). However, Naqvi insisted on handing the trophy to the Men in Blue and this led to the post-match ceremony being delayed by close to 45 minutes. Eventually, Suryakumar & Co. didn't accept their winner's medals and celebrated their record-extending ninth Asia Cup triumph without the trophy.