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‘We waited for an hour but Asia Cup Trophy was nowhere to be found': Tilak Varma on India's stand-off with Mohsin Naqvi
Tilak Varma has finally opened up on what truly happened behind the scenes when India refused to accept the trophy from Naqvi on September 28.
It is nearly close to a month, but Suryakumar Yadav's India are yet to receive the Asia Cup 2025 trophy despite beating Pakistan fair and square in the summit clash at the Dubai International Stadium by five wickets. Ever since India refused to accept the trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chair Mohsin Naqvi, the silverware has been gathering dust at the organisation's headquarters in Dubai. Naqvi, who is also the head of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), continues to remain adamant in his desire to hand away the title.
Tilak Varma, who was adjudged as Player of the Match in the Asia Cup final for his match-winning knock of 69 runs off 53 balls, has finally opened up on what truly happened behind the scenes when India refused to accept the trophy from Naqvi on September 28.
It is worth mentioning that the post-match presentation on the night of the final was delayed for almost an hour, as back-channel talks were ongoing between Naqvi and the Indian management. However, Naqvi refused to let the trophy be handed out by someone else, and this resulted in India not getting the title. Eventually, India celebrated with a fictional trophy, but the contingent ensured that their celebrations were not hampered.
“We were actually waiting at the ground for one hour. If you look at the TV visuals, you'll see that I was lying on the ground. The rest were also lying on the ground. Arshdeep Singh was busy making reels. We were just waiting, and we were thinking, ‘The trophy will come anytime now.' It was one hour, and the trophy was nowhere to be found. We were looking around, but the trophy was nowhere to be found,” said Tilak on Breakfast with Champions.
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“Arshdeep said, let's create an atmosphere. He said we should just celebrate in the same fashion as the T20 World Cup in 2024, minus the trophy. Abhishek Sharma, we, along with 5-6 more people, then gave our nod for the same. Then we went ahead with it,” he added.
BCCI's stand-off with Naqvi and ACC
Earlier this week, the BCCI wrote a letter to the ACC, requesting that Naqvi hand over the trophy. However, Pakistan's Interior Minister shot back, saying India can have their title provided someone from their top brass or management comes to Dubai to receive it from Naqvi.
Speaking about India's performance in the Asia Cup, the Suryakumar-led side won all the matches and were unbeaten throughout. The side defeated Pakistan thrice in the eight-team tournament.
“We were confident, but cricket is a funny game. If you are playing a big tournament like the Asia Cup or the World Cup, and there's a day when you don't play to your potential, then it's over. But the way in which I played against Pakistan in the final, I cannot play in the same fashion in every match,” said Tilak.
