India Sets Asia Cup Record
India played Pakistan for the first time in Asia Cup history in the final. India won the tournament after defeating Pakistan three times within the same tournament. The trophy ceremony, however, was delayed by about one and a half hours after the game. The players received medals, but not the winner's cup. The delay was cited as being at the hands of ACC President Mohsin Naqvi. It was only the "Player of the Match" and "Player of the Series" awards that were presented by other guests.
Captain Suryakumar's Response
Captain Suryakumar Yadav commented on the issue during the post-match media conference. He stood before the media alongside Abhishek Sharma.
Suryakumar indicated that during his cricketing career, he never saw a champion team fail to hold the trophy. He went further to say that the team won by working hard. The real trophies in his view are his 14 teammates and the support staff in the dressing room.
The players took nearly 90 minutes to celebrate after victory. The "Champion Trophy" banner, too, was in slow motion. Suryakumar clarified no official had requested the players to refuse the trophy. It was decided on the field by the players themselves.
He also said he would be donating his Asia Cup match fee to the Indian Army.
Celebration Without Trophy
Since India did not bring the trophy away from Mohsin Naqvi, the team partyed without the trophy. They later had captain Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, and Shubman Gill posting doctored photographs on social media with the trophy placed digitally.
Suryakumar captioned his photograph that champions are remembered after matches, not trophy photos. Hardik Pandya had his post as "3-0," highlighting India's sweep over Pakistan.
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