“This will haunt them”: Shoaib Malik issues open threat to India over rejecting Asia Cup trophy
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The Indian team refused to accept the Asia Cup Trophy from the hands of ACC Chief Mohsin Naqvi. Pakistani star Shoaib Malik has warned that not taking the Asia Cup trophy will 'haunt the Indian cricket team after a few years.'
For the first time in the history of the Asia Cup, India and Pakistan faced each other in the final of the continental championship. India went on to win their 9th Asia Cup title, while Pakistan have managed to win only 2 in all these years.
Shoaib Malik praises the efforts of the Indian players in the Asia Cup 2025
Former Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik has criticized the Indian cricket team's gesture not to accept the Asia Cup trophy from the hands of the Asian Cricket Council's chief, Mohsin Naqvi. He meant that so many efforts made by the Indian players all went in vain when they refused to take the trophy into their hands.
The Indian clearly objected to taking the trophy at the hands of Naqvi, who was involved in several controversial moves on the Indian team, since he also heads the Pakistan Cricket Board. The Indian agreed to take the trophy from the hands of the ECB vice-president; however, Naqvi stood his ground and walked away with the trophy.
“Just see how much pressure the players went through to win the Asia Cup. How much heat there was that they played in. They worked so hard. Why did they do all that hard work? To win the Asia Cup trophy, to win the tournament! And after they’ve worked so hard, you don’t even come to take the trophy,” chuckled Malik. “It was such a big achievement, and that too after such a close match. It’s a massive moment.”
"After a few years, this will haunt them" - Shoaib Malik
As of now, the Indian players look unaffected by the denial of the trophy, as they mocked the PCB chief further, celebrating with an 'imaginary' trophy. Not only that, but the Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav also imitated Rohit Sharma's infamous celebration from the T20 World Cup 2024 final.
“Look, today, they might be celebrating this thing like this. But down the line, after a few years, this will haunt them. They’ll think: ‘We won the trophy, we worked hard’. They are athletes and sportsmen. A sportsman’s job is to come to the ground, give your best shot, and that’s it.”
BCCI cites a major reason for India's refusal to accept the trophy
As per reports from the Indian Express, the immediate trigger for Indian cricketers and the BCCI that led to their refusal to accept the trophy was Naqvi's reposting several images on X, which were derogatory and insulting to the Indian side.
He reposted a post titled ‘Final Day’ in which Pakistan cricketers, including captain Salman Agha and fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, are seen wearing flight suits with images of airborne fighter jets in the background. Earlier during the tournament, Naqvi had posted a picture of Cristiano Ronaldo depicting a crashing plane.
The BCCI went on to announce a whopping INR 21 Crore prize money for the Indian team and support staff who were part of the winning squad that played in the Asia Cup.
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India National Cricket Team Pakistan National Cricket Team India vs Pakistan Asia Cup Mohsin Naqvi Shoaib Malik
