**Dubai: Suryakumar Yadav Reflects on Being Denied Asia Cup Trophy Despite India’s Remarkable Win**

India’s T20 skipper Suryakumar Yadav experienced an unprecedented moment after leading his team to victory in the Asia Cup — winning the marquee event yet being denied the trophy. However, the setback has not rattled him, thanks to the camaraderie of his 14 “priceless” teammates, each as “precious” to him as the Asia Cup silverware itself.

After India defeated Pakistan for the third time in just two weeks to clinch the Asia Cup, Suryakumar and his team collectively refused to receive the trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chairman Mohsin Naqvi. Naqvi, who is also the Pakistan Cricket Board chief and the country’s Interior Minister known for his vocal anti-India stance, was present at the presentation ceremony.

Since the Indian team declined to accept the trophy from Naqvi, the presentation ceremony concluded abruptly, with Naqvi leaving the dais and taking the trophy along with him on Sunday night.

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### Suryakumar Yadav’s Reaction: A Mix of Disappointment and Pride

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Suryakumar expressed his dismay with the ACC over the incident. Responding to a question by PTI on how it felt being denied the biggest prize after winning seven consecutive games, he said:

> “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.”

He added,
> “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.”

Despite the disappointment, Surya sent a heartwarming message to his teammates, including the emerging star Abhishek Sharma sitting beside 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.”

On social media platform X, Suryakumar further posted,
> “When the game is done, only the champions will be remembered and not the picture of a trophy.”

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### Leadership Through Adversity

Appointed as India’s T20 captain just 14 months ago, this Asia Cup was by far the biggest tournament under Suryakumar’s leadership — even though his own bat remained silent throughout. The lingering disappointment was overshadowed when he saw “India, Asia Cup, 2025 Champions” written on display, a moment that made the frustration disappear.

During the post-match interaction, Suryakumar also maintained his composure when faced with a Pakistani journalist accusing him of “bringing petty politics” onto the cricket field by refusing to shake hands with Pakistan’s captain Salman Ali Agha and not participating in the customary pre-final photo shoot. Smiling, Surya responded to his team’s media manager’s concern by saying:

> “You are getting angry, right? Why are you getting so angry? And you (referring to the journalist) asked four questions in one.”

When asked if he was aware of any Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) communication to the ACC regarding not receiving the trophy from Naqvi, Surya said:

> “I don’t know what you’re saying about the e-mail. I have no idea about this. We took this call on the ground. No one told us to do this.”

He challenged the journalist with a question:
> “And we were waiting. I think if you win a tournament, do you deserve the trophy or not? You tell me.”

The Pakistani scribe could only nod in reluctant agreement.

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### Celebrations Without the Trophy

In the age of AI-generated images, a picture of Suryakumar and his teammate Tilak holding the Asia Cup trophy has circulated widely on social media. When asked about how the celebrations went without the actual trophy, the skipper replied with a quick wit:

> “You haven’t seen the trophy? I have brought it. The team was sitting on the podium. And Abhishek and Shubman have already posted the photo with the trophy. It looks so good. See, how it is.”

Showing his lighter side, Suryakumar narrated the chain of events that led to the team not accepting the trophy from the Pakistan Interior Minister:

> “Rinku Singh hit a four. India won the Asia Cup. After that, we came out and we were celebrating and we applauded every player’s achievement — Tilak, Kuldeep and Bhai (Abhishek) got a car. We celebrated that too. So, what more do you want? This was the chain of events that we wanted to achieve.”

He added with a shrug,
> “And we also saw that the champions’ (flexi) board came and went back. We saw that too. It’s okay. It keeps on happening. It’s a part of life.”

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Despite the controversy surrounding the trophy presentation, India’s cricket team and captain Suryakumar Yadav have demonstrated that true victory lies beyond the physical silverware — in the spirit, memories, and pride of being crowned champions.

*(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ’s editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)*
https://www.freepressjournal.in/sports/champions-are-remembered-not-the-picture-of-a-trophy-indias-t20-skipper-suryakumar-yadav-on-asia-cup-win