On September 28, 2021, India won the title of the Asia Cup 2025 by a nail-biter last-over victory against Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The fans were elated by the victory and when it was reported that Asian Cricket Council chairperson Mohsin Naqvi took away the trophy and the medals that were supposed to be given to the winning side, a controversy erupted.
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav though downplayed the problem saying that winning the trust and love of the nation was the real prize. He attributed the success to the support staff and all people working behind the scenes saying that their efforts paid off. What was important in his case and the team was the euphoria of winning rather than holding the silverware.
“I won’t call it controversy. If you have seen, the players have posted photos of the trophy here and there. But the real trophy is when you win the hearts of people, the players, the trust you earn, the support staff, the trust they have shown, the people who work behind the scenes, that is the real trophy. The real trophy is the work and effort of so many people on the field,” Suryakumar was quoted as saying.
India’s record ninth Asia Cup title came through strong efforts from Tilak Varma, Kuldeep Yadav and Shivam Dube, who shone with both bat and ball. This was also their second T20 Asia Cup win, the first being in the tournament’s inaugural 2016 edition.
“It was a bit of pressure, but I wanted to stay at the wicket and finish games. they were mixing up the pace. I wanted to just stay calm and finish the game for my country. It was a fantastic knock by Samson, it was really important for the team. The way Dube batted was also helpful for me and the country. Credit goes to both of them as well. Wwe have prepared for every position. Gauti bhai said to be flexible in every position. I was prepared to bat anywhere and I was backing on my game.”
Tilak Varma
India is now going to concentrate on red-ball cricket with two-Test home series against the West Indies. The inaugural game will be the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad and the second game will be played in Arun Jaitley Stadium of New Delhi. The side will be headed by Shubman Gill and vice-captain will be Ravindra Jadeja.
