Hours after leaving the Dubai International Stadium with the Asia Cup 2025 trophy, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Mohsin Naqvi responded sharply to Prime Minister Narendra Modi&rsquo;s congratulatory message to Team India.
India defeated Pakistan by five wickets in a tense final to lift the Asia Cup, finishing the eight-team tournament without a single loss. Soon after the win, PM Modi posted on X, &ldquo;#OperationSindoor on the games field. Outcome is the same &ndash; India wins! Congrats to our cricketers.&rdquo; His words drew a parallel with India&rsquo;s recent military offensive, Operation Sindoor, launched against terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir after the Pahalgam terror attack earlier this year.
The comparison did not sit well with Naqvi, who is also Pakistan&rsquo;s Interior Minister. In his reply, he accused India of tarnishing the spirit of cricket with political undertones. &ldquo;If war is your yardstick for pride, history already notes your humiliating defeats at Pakistan&rsquo;s hands. No cricket match can rewrite that. Dragging war into sport only shows desperation and insults the game itself,&rdquo; Naqvi wrote.
Naqvi, however, is under heavy fire for his own actions. He was supposed to hand over the trophy to Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav but walked away with it after India refused to accept the award from him. Attempts by the Asian Cricket Council to have Emirates Cricket Board chairman Khalid Al Zarooni present the cup were blocked by Naqvi, who left the ground carrying the trophy back to his hotel room. The bizarre sequence forced an abrupt halt to the presentation ceremony.
Indian players and fans did not allow the episode to overshadow their celebrations. The squad posed for photographs with imaginary trophies, mocking Naqvi&rsquo;s behaviour, while enjoying their championship triumph.
Naqvi&rsquo;s conduct has sparked outrage globally, with critics accusing him of politicising cricket and disrespecting the winners. Tensions between both teams had already been evident. Indian players had declined to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts throughout the tournament, and Suryakumar Yadav skipped the traditional pre-final captains&rsquo; photoshoot.
After the group-stage win against Pakistan, Suryakumar dedicated the victory to the Indian Armed Forces. Following the title triumph, he pledged to donate his match fees from the entire tournament to the Army, further reinforcing the patriotic tone surrounding India&rsquo;s Asia Cup campaign.
With India celebrating yet another continental victory and Naqvi facing backlash for his antics, the Asia Cup 2025 final will be remembered as much for the off-field drama as for the cricket itself.

Naqvi storms off with Asia Cup, hits back at PM

PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi walks off with trophy after India’s win, slams PM Modi’s remark

Naqvi storms off with Asia Cup, hits back at PM

PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi walks off with trophy after India’s win, slams PM Modi’s remark

September 29, 2025 | 22:54 IST