No directive, just dissent: India pass on Naqvi’s presentation of Asia Cup

Dubai: India captain Suryakumar Yadav said it's the winning team that is remembered, not the trophy as he reacted to his side not being presented the Asia Cup after it refused to accept the top prize from Asian Cricket Council chief and Pakistan's interior minister Mohsin Naqvi.

Surykumar and his men defeated Pakistan by five wickets in the final here on Sunday to win the Asia Cup. The tournament was marred by hostilities between the two sides in the backdrop of the Pahalgam terror attack and the ensuing Operation Sindoor by the Indian government.

"I have never seen this before -- winning team not receiving trophy... But for me, my players and support staff are the real trophies," Suryakumar said in the post-match press conference.

The Indian team refused to exchange traditional handshakes with their Pakistan counterparts through the tournament. The Indians won each of the three games that the two sides played on successive Sundays.

"When the game is done, only the champions will be remembered and not the picture of a trophy," Suryakumar later posted on 'X'.

On the team's decision to accept the trophy from Naqvi, Suryakumar said, "We took this call on the ground. No one told us to do this."