Bitter victory: On the Asia Cup 2025 final.
India’s attitude to playing sports with Pakistan makes no sense.
Sport is always laced with politics, but rarely does it lose its character as it did in cricket’s Asia Cup 2025. Under warm Dubai skies, India reiterated its continental dominance. The defending champion retained the Asia Cup after Sunday’s (September 28, 2025) final swung India’s way when Pakistan imploded. The western neighbour was placed at 84 for one in 9.4 overs but then lost nine wickets adding just 62 while the Indian spinners prevailed. But India did not have it easy. Chasing 147, its top three were back in the hut while the score read a mere 20. Pakistan again had a chance but India found new heroes in Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube. Tilak’s match-winning unbeaten 69 further highlighted the rich vein of talent coursing through India’s cricketing heart. India’s five-wicket triumph with two deliveries to spare capped a fine Asia Cup campaign in which all games were won and arch-rival Pakistan was humbled thrice. But this was a victory sullied by the antics of the Indian squad. Suryakumar Yadav’s men refused to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts all through the championship; an even more obnoxious trait was revealed when the victors refused to accept the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president, the Pakistan Cricket Board chief, and also Pakistan Interior Minister. The scars of the Pahalgam terror attack and the angst over Operation Sindoor may linger but this was poor behaviour on the field.
If India felt strongly about playing against Pakistan, then the matches should have been skipped. This lame excuse of playing the neighbour only in multi-team tournaments, while avoiding bilateral fixtures, does not cut ice. Broadcast revenues govern these strategically placed India-Pakistan clashes in all tournaments, conducted by the International Cricket Council or the ACC. India-Pakistan contests always had an edge and it was inevitable due to Partition-trauma and multiple wars. Still in the 1980s, Dilip Vengsarkar and Javed Miandad would go hard against each other on the turf and would have a meal together at night. Punjabi pop, a shared cuisine and even common expletives forged a bond between players split by the Wagah border. But in these times of shrill nationalism, sport has become part of the external noise. In one fell swoop, Suryakumar’s men and petulant Pakistani players have shown that sport can also burn bridges. This was unnecessary. While politics cast a dark shadow on the tournament, India still has some internal assessment to deal with. Suryakumar may have made some smug remarks in press conferences but he cannot hide his poor form in this tournament. The leader cumulatively scored a mere 72. This Indian T20 unit is still a work in progress even as it seizes tournaments.