As tensions between India and Pakistan escalate beyond the cricketing boundary, a fresh controversy has ignited just hours before the Asia Cup 2025 final. According to multiple reports, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has declined to permit a joint trophy presentation photoshoot with Pakistan, signaling another chapter in the fraught relations ahead of the marquee clash in Dubai on September 28.
A Surprise Move — and a Symbolic Snub
Traditionally, the captains of both finalists pose side by side with the trophy, cameras flashing, in a moment that is meant to embody sportsmanship beyond rivalry. But this time, that moment appears to have been vetoed.
Media outlets and social posts suggest that India’s camp has actively blocked any such photo session with Pakistan’s skipper.
The rationale, while not officially confirmed in full detail, seems tied to the broader political climate and recent hostilities between the two nations.
The Backdrop: Tension, Handshake Snubs, and Escalating Emotions
That the move would be contentious is hardly surprising. Cricket between these two nations has long carried political weight, but in the Asia Cup 2025, the friction has been unusually pronounced.
- In an earlier match, India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav refused to shake hands with Pakistan’s captain during the toss — a symbolic gesture now replayed in headlines across the subcontinent.
- Claims have also surfaced that Yadav will refuse to accept the trophy from the PCB’s chief, Mohsin Naqvi, should India win the final.
- Meanwhile, Pakistan’s board has criticized the refusal to engage in customary gestures of sportsmanship, lodging a formal protest with the International Cricket Council (ICC).
In many observers’ eyes, these moves reflect how the politics between the two nations are creeping into what used to be a neutral, ritualistic realm of sport.
As the players prepare to take the field, the build-up has already shifted focus from bat and ball to symbolism and posturing. The Asia Cup trophy itself, usually a unifying image, now sits at the center of a divide. When the winning moment comes, the question may not just be who lifts it — but how the world interprets what happens next.
