The Asia Cup 2025 concluded with a massive controversy last month as Team India refused to receive their winners' trophy and medallions from ACC and PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi, who is also Pakistan’s Interior Minister and posted anti-India sentiments on social media throughout the tournament.

Furious with India’s stance, Naqvi took the silverware and medals to his hotel room. After BCCI’s protest, the PCB boss said that if India wants the trophy and medals, skipper Suryakumar Yadav can collect them from his ACC office in Dubai.

However, the Indian board has reportedly denied this condition and rumours are rife that it will lodge an official complaint against Naqvi at the ICC meeting later this year.

Meanwhile, Tilak Varma – India’s hero in the Asia Cup final win against Pakistan – has spilled beans on what exactly happened behind the scenes when the Men in Blue refrained from accepting the trophy from Naqvi on September 28.

“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. 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.

The arch-rivals faced each other thrice in the Asia Cup 2025 and India emerged victorious on all occasions. Tilak Varma starred with the bat in the title clash, returning with an unbeaten knock of 69 from 53 balls to pave the way for India’s five-wicket win.

Thanks to Tilak’s innings, India chases down the target of 147 with two deliveries to spare and clinched the continental showpiece for the record-extending ninth time.

“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,” Tilak remarked.