By Shaurya Dutt

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 4 (ANI): The 2025 Asia Cup final between India and Pakistan ended on a bitter note, with the Indian team refusing to accept the trophy from ACC Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the Pakistan Cricket Board chief and Pakistan's Interior Minister.

Speaking with ANI, Indian cricketer Rahul Tewatia said that the Indian team is not bothered about not receiving the trophy and instead focuses on their victory, adding that the real headache lies with Pakistan.

Rahul Tewatia stated that India's victory in the final is what matters, and not having the trophy awarded to them doesn't detract from their achievement. He emphasised that the Pakistan team hasn't won the trophy by taking it back.

'As far as the trophy is concerned, based on what we heard and saw, we didn't get the trophy. Our players and management were waiting. We found out that the trophy wasn't given. The players were made to wait for a long time, and the trophy was taken back. They went to play cricket and won the final. In history, the name of the person who won the final is often recorded, regardless of whether the trophy was awarded or not. They didn't give us the trophy. That's their headache. India won the final. By taking the trophy back, the Pakistan team have not won it,' Tewatia told ANI.

The Men in Blue refused to take the Asia Cup 2025 trophy from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President Mohsin Naqvi. Also, they refused to shake hands with the Pakistani players after the matches, citing strained relations between the two nations following the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir.

Indian players refrained from following the long-standing tradition in the group stage and the Super Fours. The trend from their previous encounters continued in the final, leaving Pakistan skipper Salman whining about the alleged 'disrespect' shown to his team by India after they again declined to shake hands.

After India outfoxed Pakistan and secured a 7-wicket win in the group stage game of the Asia Cup 2025, Suryakumar Yadav and his players sent a bold message by refusing to follow the traditional custom of shaking hands with the opposition. In response, Pakistan withdrew from the post-match presentation.

Earlier, before the first ball of the rivalry fixture was bowled, both side captains Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Ali Agha turned heads by not engaging in the traditional handshake after the toss. During the toss, neither skipper maintained eye contact nor tried to initiate a handshake and eschewed the gesture.

Sharing his views on the handshake row, Tewatia said, 'It was the team's and the management's decision not to do the handshake. Regardless of the circumstances, as an Indian, we should support that decision. We shouldn't think differently about the team's and management's decision. They made the best decision at that time.'

The controversy escalated further after an ACC meeting where BCCI officials expressed their dissatisfaction with Naqvi's actions. Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Indonesia also supported India's stance, while Naqvi insisted that India should collect the trophy from him personally.

The rivalry between India and Pakistan is set to continue as the women's teams face off in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025. The Indian women's team, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, boasts a perfect record against Pakistan in 50-over matches, having won 11 consecutive encounters.

Team India will take on Pakistan Women in the sixth match of the ongoing ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025, scheduled to be held at Colombo's R Premadasa Stadium on Sunday.

Women in Blue started their campaign with a terrific 59-run victory over Sri Lanka Women in Guwahati. In contrast, the Pakistan team lost to Bangladesh Women in their opening encounter at Colombo, going down by seven wickets. (ANI)