The post Geopolitical Tensions Overshadow Cricket’s Biggest Rivalry As India Beats Pakistan In Asia Cup Final appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.

Topline The Indian national men’s cricket team defeated Pakistan in the finals of the Asia Cup in Dubai on Sunday, in a clash that is usually the sport’s most highly anticipated and commercially lucrative encounter, which was marred by boycotts and political gesturing as the game took place just months after the two nuclear-armed neighbors engaged in a military skirmish along their border. The Indian cricket team posed with an imaginary trophy after winning the Asia Cup on Sunday after refusing to take the real trophy from Pakistan’s interior minister and Asian Cricket Council President Mohsin Naqvi. Getty Images Key Facts India vs Pakistan games—a marquee clash in most cricket tournaments and among the most-watched sporting events in the world—took a sharply political tone during the ongoing Asia Cup, with some Indian political and public figures calling for a boycott in sporting ties. The Asia Cup was the first cricketing event to feature both teams since the two countries’ militaries clashed in May this year. Controversy began during a league stage match earlier this month when the Indian team refused to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts both before and after the game. The handshake refusal continued in another round robin game last week and in the Finals on Sunday, which India won to complete an undefeated run at the Asia Cup. Despite winning the title, however, the Indian team did not receive a trophy after they insisted that it be presented to them by someone other than Mohsin Naqvi, the president of the Asian Cricket Council and chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board. Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan’s Interior Minister, however, reportedly insisted that only he would do the presentation, which resulted in the Indian team ending the night without the trophy in their hands. What Did Indian…

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Filed under: News - @ September 29, 2025 1:28 pm