India-Pakistan Asia Cup final: When politics and business overshadowed cricket

The Asia Cup 2025 final in Dubai on September 28 was a fitting climax to a tournament brimming with drama. Pakistan, after a blistering start, collapsed from 113 for 1 to 146 all out. India, in reply, stumbled early but held their nerve. Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 69 off 53 balls anchored the chase, and with Shivam Dube’s support, India pulled off a tense win with just two balls to spare. It was the kind of finale fans crave, a game that swung both ways before India snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

Yet, when the dust settled, the moment that defined the evening was not Varma’s knock or India’s resilience. It was what happened after the final ball. The winning team never lifted the trophy!

Winners celebrate without trophy!

India refused to accept the Asia Cup from Mohsin Naqvi, Pakistan’s interior minister, Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, and president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). The presentation ceremony was delayed for over an hour before being abandoned. Individual awards were distributed, but the trophy stayed behind. For the first time in memory, the winners of a major tournament did not celebrate with silverware.

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This extraordinary outcome was hardly spontaneous. Reports ahead of the final suggested that India would not accept the trophy from Naqvi. Earlier in the tournament, Indian players had even refused to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts, a sign of the stance they would take.

Reports suggest that BCCI directives guided Indian players on boundaries, while the Pakistani management reportedly pushed their team into theatrics, partly to deflect from poor performances and selection controversies. Sport was the stage, politics the director.

At the heart of the matter was Naqvi himself. Beyond his role as the ACC chief, he is also a senior minister in the Pakistan government. His social media activity during the tournament added fuel to the fire. Reposts and images intertwined cricket with politically sensitive symbols, including references to Operation Sindoor, India’s cross-border strikes following the Pahalgam terror attack in April.

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The attacks, followed by heightened skirmishes at the border in May, had already soured the political climate. On Indian social media, hashtags such as #BoycottPakistan and #NoCricketWithTerror trended for days. In that environment, accepting a trophy from Naqvi became more than ceremonial — it became a political statement.

Both sides contributed to escalation

However, the refusal cannot be viewed in isolation. Both sides contributed to the escalation. From India’s perspective, refusing handshakes and the trophy was a stand in solidarity with victims of terror and a response to provocation. But Pakistani players themselves had crossed lines: Haris Rauf’s “6-0” gesture toward Indian fans and other on-field taunts only hardened Indian resolve. What could have remained a sporting contest instead became a spiral of gestures and symbolism.

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For many neutral viewers, the finale left a bitter aftertaste. The cricket itself was excellent, arguably the most thrilling contest of the tournament. But off-field drama overshadowed the sport.

Politics overshadows cricket

International analysts noted how quickly the narrative shifted from India’s chase to India’s refusal. Rituals like handshakes and trophy lifts — long symbolic of sportsmanship — seemed lost. Many viewers reported feeling alienated by the theatrics and hostility. Cricket’s appeal lies in its ability to rise above politics; this final seemed to drag it into the trenches instead.

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Gestures in international sport often serve as controlled forms of expression, ways for athletes and administrators to signal disapproval without formal diplomatic conflict. For many Indians, refusing the trophy was a way to honour martyrs, assert national pride, and assure fans that principles mattered.

The final has become a mirror reflecting what Indian cricket, and perhaps global cricket, is increasingly about, not just sport, not just nationhood, but business and theatre.

Yet symbolism rings hollow if inconsistent. Critics argue that if India truly wanted to take a stand, the stronger move would have been to boycott the tournament entirely. Participation while refusing handshakes or a trophy sends a mixed message: a protest cushioned by “business as usual”.

SKY shook hands with Naqvi before tournament began

The pre-tournament captains’ press meet illustrated this inconsistency. Suryakumar Yadav shook hands with Naqvi alongside other captains, signaling courtesy. But the social media backlash in India, demanding a stronger stance, likely pressured the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and authorities to send subtle signals to the team. The symbolic defiance that followed appeared more reactive than principled.

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Players themselves became pawns in a larger game. Reports suggest that BCCI directives guided Indian players on boundaries, while the Pakistani management reportedly pushed their team into theatrics, partly to deflect from poor performances and selection controversies. Sport was the stage, politics the director.

Looking ahead, cricket faces tough questions. Will these gestures and social-media-driven narratives continue to overshadow the game? Or can administrators and players restore a balance between national pride and sportsmanship? If India had genuine reservations about the ACC president, the stance should have been made clear before the tournament began.

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Likewise, Pakistani players and management must resist cheap theatrics. Administrators on both sides bear responsibility for preventing cricket from becoming a pawn of political signaling.

Also read: BJP, AAP clash after Asia Cup trophy drama: 'Players given new script for propaganda'

This Asia Cup final will be remembered not only for Varma’s poise under pressure but also for the absence of a trophy lift. It may mark the most strained cricketing moment between India and Pakistan, despite far worse political tensions in the past. The spectacle highlights a deeper truth: when cricket becomes an arena for politics, commerce, and social media theatrics, the sport itself risks losing its essence.

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For now, India’s stance has resonated domestically. Fans praise the spine shown by the team and the symbolic support for martyrs. Yet, the long-term implications are sobering. Cricket has long been a rare space where India and Pakistan could meet without bullets or bombs.

Sadly, where the 2025 Asia Cup final should have been remembered as a classic, it is now a cautionary tale. A great match, overshadowed by gestures that spoke louder than the cricket itself. Nationalism, commerce, and politics intersected and, in the process, cricket lost something of its soul.

The final has become a mirror reflecting what Indian cricket, and perhaps global cricket, is increasingly about, not just sport, not just nationhood, but business and theatre.

As one fan put it bluntly online — "Indian cricket today is neither about India nor about cricket. It’s just business!"