Not collecting the Asia Cup trophy will haunt Team India after a few years: Shoaib Malik

Former Pakistan all-rounder and cricket analyst Shoaib Malik has stated that the Indian cricket team, led by Suryakumar Yadav, will regret the decision of not collecting the Asia Cup 2025 trophy, adding that it will haunt them after a few years.

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For the unversed, the Suryakumar Yadav-led team decided not to collect the Asia Cup title from the PCB & ACC Chief Mohsin Naqvi. Interestingly, the Indian players celebrated on the podium without the trophy as the pictures went viral on the internet. 

“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. It was such a big achievement, and that too after such a close match. It’s a massive moment,” Malik said.

“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,” he added.

Interestingly, the ACC Chief Mohsin Naqvi left the podium along with the trophy after the Indian players decided not to collect it from him. The Indian skipper asserted that the real trophies are his colleagues, and they will stay in his memory.

“I have never seen a champion (team) not getting a trophy. We deserved it. The real trophies are my 14 colleagues, and they will stay in my memory,” India captain Suryakumar Yadav said after winning the final.

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