The dust settled in Dubai, but the thunder of the India-Pakistan Asia Cup final victory echoed far beyond the boundary ropes, not just for the cricket but for the chaos that followed. India secured their record ninth Asia Cup title with a thrilling five-wicket victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in the final in Dubai, concluding a tournament where the diplomatic tensions off the field often overshadowed the cricketing spectacle on it. The win extends India’s dominance in the continental championship and delivered a decisive victory in what has become the most politically charged sporting rivalry in the world.
A triumph of nerve
The final, played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, saw India defeat Pakistan by five wickets. Put into bat, Pakistan initially appeared set for a commanding total, powered by an aggressive opening partnership between Sahibzada Farhan (57 off 38 balls) and Fakhar Zaman (46 off 35 balls), reaching a formidable 84 for no loss.
However, a sudden and dramatic collapse saw Pakistan lose their last nine wickets for a mere 33 runs, a stunning implosion masterminded by India's spinners. Pakistan was eventually bowled out for 146 in 19.1 overs. The turnaround was spearheaded by India's spinners, most notably the left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who claimed a magnificent 4 for 30 in his four overs, tearing through the middle order. He was ably supported by Varun Chakaravarthy (2/30) and Axar Patel (2/26), while Jasprit Bumrah secured two crucial strikes at the death (2/25).
Chasing 147, India experienced a troubled start, stumbling to 20 for three inside the Powerplay, losing openers Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill, and skipper Suryakumar Yadav cheaply. The chase was rescued by a composed and mature performance from the young left-hander, Tilak Varma, who anchored the innings with a match-winning, unbeaten knock of 69 runs off 53 balls.
Crucial partnerships with Sanju Samson (24) and, significantly, Shivam Dube (33 off 22 balls) stabilised the chase, with Rinku Singh hitting the winning boundary with two balls to spare to seal the victory for India at 150 for five. Varma was rightly named Man of the Match for his stellar performance under immense pressure.
The drama, the standoff, and the politicisation of victory
The thrilling cricket soon gave way to an extraordinary post-match controversy, where diplomatic tensions completely overshadowed the traditional awards ceremony, resulting in the astonishing spectacle of the victorious Indian team celebrating with an imaginary trophy. The Indian team refused to accept the actual trophy because it was to be presented by Mohsin Naqvi, who serves as both the President of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), as well as Pakistan's federal Interior Minister. Citing Naqvi's political position and the context of worsening diplomatic relations, the BCCI confirmed that the team had decided not to accept the trophy from him.
Following a protracted stand-off, which lasted nearly an hour, the presentation ceremony was cut short, and the trophy was ultimately taken away by the organisers, denying the players the chance to hold the silverware they had earned. Captain Suryakumar Yadav later expressed his disappointment, stating, "I have never seen a champion (team) not getting a trophy. We deserved it," while former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik warned that the decision would haunt the Indian players later on. The tension was further ignited by a public exchange on social media platform X. Following India's victory, Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted: “OperationSindoor on the games field. Outcome is the same – India wins!
Congrats to our cricketers”, a clear reference to a recent military conflict between the two nations. Naqvi, the ACC chief, swiftly responded, dragging the dispute further into the realm of international politics, “If war was your measure of pride, history already records your humiliating defeats at Pakistan's hands. No cricket match can rewrite that truth. Dragging war into sport only exposes desperation and disgraces the very spirit of the game,” he wrote. He is very obviously being trolled for this comment.
Additionally, this exchange, coming after India's players had already refused the customary handshake with their Pakistani opponents throughout the tournament, a gesture viewed by Pakistan's captain as a disrespect to the spirit of cricket cemented the notion that this rivalry is now being fought on political battlegrounds just as much as on the cricket pitch.
A storied past
The Asia Cup, established in 1984 following the founding of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) in 1983, was originally conceived to promote goodwill among the continent's cricketing nations and holds the distinction of being the only continental championship in cricket. The inaugural tournament, held in Sharjah, UAE, in 1984, was a round-robin contest featuring India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan, with India emerging as the first champions.
However, the competition’s history has been repeatedly marred by the complex political relationship between India and Pakistan. In the early years, India boycotted the second edition in 1986 due to strained relations with Sri Lanka, while Pakistan later withdrew from the 1990–91 tournament when it was hosted in India. The 1993 tournament was the most significant casualty, as it had to be cancelled entirely because of worsening political relations between the two rivals, demonstrating how political fragility can derail cricket diplomacy.
Over the years, the tournament has evolved from its round-robin format, expanding to include more teams like the UAE and Hong Kong in 2004, and adapting its format to alternate between ODI and T20I formats. With the 2025 triumph, India solidified its position as the most successful team in the history of the tournament, now boasting a total of nine titles, followed by Sri Lanka with six titles, and Pakistan with two.
The recent final, however, serves as a stark reminder that for all its sporting prestige, the Asia Cup remains intrinsically linked to the delicate and often volatile geopolitics of the subcontinent.
How an arrogant refusal shifted cricket's power base
In 1983, India’s shocking World Cup triumph over the mighty West Indies stunned the cricketing world.But the true revolution began off the field, at Lord’s, where tradition and arrogance collided with ambition and defiance.
Narendra Kumar Prasadrao Salve, then President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), requested a few extra passes for the World Cup final to accommodate dignitaries, including India’s High Commissioner to the USA. The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) not only refused but did so with such condescension that it amounted to a public humiliation for Indian cricket. For Salve, a seasoned politician and administrator, the insult was more than a minor slight; it was emblematic of the colonial-era dominance still held by the English cricketing establishment.
That moment ignited a plan that would redefine the global game. Salve vowed to wrest financial and administrative control of cricket from the MCC’s hands. In the ensuing years, he forged alliances across the subcontinent, paving the way for the formation of the Asian Cricket Council and the eventual hosting of the 1987 World Cup jointly by India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. For the first time, the tournament moved outside England, signalling the rise of the subcontinent as the new epicentre of world cricket. What began as the denial of a handful of tickets evolved into a seismic shift in cricket’s power dynamics. The episode demonstrated that arrogance and disdain can spark change, and that a single act of defiance can redraw the map of a global sport. From a minor snub at Lord’s to the subcontinent’s domination of cricket, 1983 remains a turning point in history.
