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DUBAI: A rare sight unfolded at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday as India celebrated their ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025 triumph without the trophy.
The unusual celebrations came after the Indian team refused to accept the silverware during the delayed presentation ceremony, since it was to be presented by the Asia Cricket Council (ACC) president and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, Mohsin Naqvi.
Alongside Naqvi, the president of the Bangladesh Cricket Council, the vice president of the Emirates Cricket Board, and representatives from the tournament sponsors were present on the stage.
The Men in Blue were seen celebrating their victory on the stage without the silverware. Skipper Suryakumar playfully mimicked, and the rest of the side held up an imaginary trophy as part of their celebrations.
Earlier, India defeated Pakistan by five wickets to clinch the Asia Cup 2025 title. Tilak Verma stood up with the bat, scoring a vital 69* from 53 balls.
The champions started their chase on a shaky note as Pakistan’s pacers ripped through their top order.
Dangerous Abhishek Sharma was the first to go holing out to mid on, whereas Skipper Suryakumar Yadav, in poor form, perished courtesy of an excellent catch from Salman Ali Agha.
The Men in Blue were pegged back with Shubman Gill’s wicket, who was caught on mid-on after scoring 12. As a result, India were reduced to 20-3.
However, Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma arrested the slide and batted with calm and composure. The pair added 58 runs for the third wicket, which put India back on course in the chase.
Sanju’s dismissal opened a brief door for Pakistan; however, Varma remained composed and guided India towards the target.
Eventually, India aced the chase with Rinku Singh— playing his first game of the tournament, hitting the ball over mid wicket for four to seal an emphatic win for his side.
Pakistan got off to a strong start after being asked to bat first. Openers Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman looked in fine touch, stitching together a solid 84-run partnership.
Their positive intent laid the perfect platform for a big total, but once the stand was broken, Pakistan’s innings unraveled quickly.
The middle order failed to capitalize on the strong foundation, and wickets kept tumbling at regular intervals.
READ: Agha ‘proud’ of Pakistan fight despite Asia Cup 2025 final loss
