Tilak Varma makes fresh revelation on Mohsin Naqvi stealing India’s Asia Cup trophy after Pakistan’s humiliation

It has been almost a month since Team India won the Asia Cup in the UAE, but are yet to receive the trophy.

The Men in Blue registered a thrilling win over bitter rivals Pakistan in the final to extend their domination in the continental championship.

Tilak Varma shone in Athe sia Cup final

Riding on Tilak Varma's unbeaten knock of 69 runs, India inflicted a five-wicket defeat on Pakistan. Batting first, Pakistan were all out for 146 runs despite being 113/1 at one stage. Kuldeep Yadav starred with the ball for India, taking 4 wickets for 30 runs in his 4 overs.

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In reply, India were reeling at 20/3 with Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill back in the hut. Tilak Varma and Sanju Samson then steadied the ship with a 57-run stand before the latter departed. Tilak Varma remained unbeaten till the end to take India home in the final over.

Also Read: Tilak Varma reveals how he cheated death, opens up on battle with deadly illness ‘rhabdomyolysis’

However, India's stunning triumph was soon overshadowed by a controversial incident as they did not receive the winning trophy. Suryakumar Yadav and his men refused to receive the trophy from ACC chief Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the PCB chief and Pakistan's interior minister.

With the Indian team refusing to get on the podium, Naqvi eventually stepped down. However, he also ordered an ACC official to take the trophy off the field. In the end, the Indian team celebrated their triumph without a trophy. The BCCI did lodge a complaint but is yet to receive the trophy.

Tilak Varma opens on the Asia Cup trophy controversy

In a recent interview, Varma opened up on the entire incident that took place after the Asia Cup final. He said that the players were expecting to receive the trophy, but it was nowhere to be found. In the end, the players decided to celebrate the win in a grand manner even without the trophy.

"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.

Arshdeep said, Let's create an atmosphere - Tilak Varma

"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,"

Meanwhile, the BCCI recently wrote a letter to the ACC, requesting that Naqvi hand over the trophy. However, the ACC chairman has remained firm on his stance, saying that India can have their title provided that a player and an official receive it from him in Dubai.