The Trophy Snub: A Masterstroke by India
The Asia Cup 2025 final in Dubai was never just about cricket. It was about power, pride, and politics, writes Peerzada Masarat Shah, Senior Columnist at Straight Talk Communications.
India did not step onto the field to compete. They came to dominate and in the end, they humiliated. The trophy snub was the masterstroke. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi stood on the podium with cameras ready, expecting the ritual handshake, the staged smile, the photo-op of sportsmanship. India refused. No stage. No smiles. No cup. Just silence. Naqvi stood stranded, clutching a trophy that suddenly meant nothing. That single moment spoke louder than the scoreboard.
India’s dominance began from the first ball. Every boundary felt like a taunt. Every wicket like a body blow. Pakistan crumbled under pressure, while Indian supporters roared in the stands as if they were marking territory. This was not about runs or overs. It was about ownership.
By rejecting the trophy, India stripped Pakistan of its last chance to salvage pride. The message was blunt: trophies are for those still proving themselves. As reigning T20 World Champions, India had nothing to prove. One viral post captured it perfectly: “We came for respect, not silverware.”
But let’s be clear—this was not just cricket. The sport was hijacked long ago, turned into a stage for geopolitical one-upmanship. Politicians thrive on these moments. They use every six and every wicket to stoke national ego. The real losers are the fans who still hope cricket can bridge divides.
Yet, from a purely strategic standpoint, India’s move was genius. It flipped the script. Pakistan wanted a victory of symbolism. Instead, they got a symbol of humiliation. The empty podium will haunt longer than the defeat itself.
History will not remember this Asia Cup for scores or statistics. It will remember the day India dismissed Pakistan twice—once with bat and ball, and again with sheer audacity.
Champions do not need trophies to define them. They define the game itself. And in Karachi, India reminded everyone who owns the stage.
Pakistans cricket is very good, but the bitterness in their minds due to Islamic fobia, making each n every move towards hatred n enemity has encentred the genetically same minds with frustration, which is the main reason for loosing on each n every subject.