Former Indian cricket captain Kapil Dev has voiced his disappointment over the off-field controversies that overshadowed the 2025 Asia Cup, urging both Indian and Pakistani players to focus on cricket and “let politicians do their job.”

His remarks come after a heated tournament that saw multiple flashpoints, from handshake snubs to India’s refusal to collect the trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chief Mohsin Naqvi.

Trophy row adds fuel to rivalry

The India-Pakistan rivalry reached new heights during the Asia Cup final, where India defeated Pakistan for the third time in the tournament. However, celebrations turned sour when the Indian team declined to receive the trophy from ACC chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who also heads the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

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In a dramatic twist, after Pakistan collected their medals, commentator Simon Doull revealed that India had chosen not to take the trophy at all. Naqvi left the venue shortly after.

Kapil Dev’s verdict

Speaking to India Today, Kapil Dev stressed that cricketers should not let political sentiments overshadow their responsibilities as sportsmen.

“I just want to say — your responsibility, and responsibility for the entire media also — we should look into the sports side rather than looking into the politics side,” he said.

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He added, “Yes, media has the responsibility to bring everything on the table, but as a sportsman, I would like to see that we should stick to sports. It will be much better.”

Series of flashpoints

The final was only the latest in a string of controversies.

In the group stage and Super Four matches, Indian players did not shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts.
During one toss, India’s Suryakumar Yadav avoided shaking hands with Salman Agha.
Pakistan’s Sahibzada Farhan sparked outrage with a “gun” celebration in the Super Four fixture.
Fast bowler Haris Rauf also made gestures towards Indian fans.

Adding to the drama, after the final, Suryakumar Yadav clarified that the decision to snub Naqvi was made by the players on the ground.

'Move on, let politicians do their job'

Kapil Dev, who famously led India to its first World Cup win in 1983, acknowledged that players may carry nationalistic feelings but stressed the importance of sportsmanship.

“Shaking hands is not a big thing. You didn’t shake hands; it does not matter. You have also announced that you don’t want to take the trophy from that man. That’s also fine,” he said.

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“But you can’t linger on for this type of thing. You have to finish, you have to move on. Let the government do that job, let the politician do that job,” he added.

The cricket legend concluded by urging both sides to work toward resolving issues instead of letting them fester on the cricket field.