India’s celebrations after winning the Asia Cup was the brainchild of pacer Arshdeep Singh, revealed spinner Varun Chakravarthy on Tuesday, October 7. Speaking at the CEAT Awards on Tuesday, the star spinner shared details about how the events unfolded on the night India defeated Pakistan in a tense summit clash.
The Indian team was not presented with the Asia Cup trophy after players refused to accept it from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi. India had requested that the trophy be handed over by a different official, but the request was denied. As a result, the team did not receive either the winners’ medals or the trophy.
In a bizarre turn of events at the Dubai International Stadium, the Indian team remained on the field even as the presentation ceremony collapsed. After the officials left the ground, the players decided to celebrate on the podium anyway. Captain Suryakumar Yadav mimicked a trophy lift and even recreated Rohit Sharma’s T20 World Cup celebration, drawing cheers from teammates.
Varun Chakravarthy, speaking at the awards ceremony, revealed that the idea for the impromptu celebration came from Arshdeep Singh.
“It was actually Arshdeep’s idea. We were waiting for the trophy, but we all know how that turned out,” Varun said.
“I was standing there, hoping the cup would show up — we were all waiting. But the only cup next to me was a coffee cup,” he added with a laugh.
Sanju Samson, who received the Men’s T20I Batter of the Year award at the event, echoed Varun’s sentiments. He admitted it felt odd to celebrate without a trophy in hand but said the team spirit helped lift the mood.
“It was a bit strange, celebrating without the trophy. But we have a very positive environment in our dressing room. Even if we don’t have anything, we celebrate like we have everything. That’s exactly what we did,” Samson said.
In a light-hearted jab at the Asian Cricket Council officials, Indian players took to social media and posted pictures celebrating their victory — using the trophy emoji in place of the actual silverware. Despite being denied what was rightfully theirs, the team remained in high spirits, marking the moment with smiles, jokes, and laughter.
