A viral video shows Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori praising PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi for taking the Asia Cup trophy from the Indian team, calling the players “terrorists” and highlighting Naqvi’s smirk as India chases the trophy.
The aftermath of India’s Asia Cup 2025 triumph has sparked one of the most controversial episodes in recent cricket history — not for on-field drama, but for Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi’s refusal to hand over the trophy to the victorious Indian team. Despite India defeating Pakistan thrice, including the all-important final, Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan’s Interior Minister, turned the post-match ceremony into a political and social flashpoint.
‘Terrorists’ Remark Goes Viral
A video that has gone viral on social media shows Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori lauding Naqvi for his bold move. Tessori went as far as calling the Indian cricketers “terrorists,” describing how Naqvi handled the situation.
“When he was standing on the ground and the Indian team was not taking the trophy, he demonstrated patience and kept standing. They (the Indian team) wanted him to step aside and let someone else take it. But they did not know that our chairman is also the Interior Minister,” Tessori said.
“Unhone team ko baad mein dehshat gardon ki tarah handle kiya (He then handled the team like terrorists. He (Naqvi) put the trophy in the car and took it away with him.”
“Ab poora India trophy ke peeche bhag raha hai (Now, the whole of India is chasing the trophy),” he added.
The clip shows Naqvi smirking as Tessori delivered his remarks, cementing the image of a trophy standoff that has divided opinions.
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Trophy Drama at the Podium
During the post-match presentation, Naqvi waited on the podium for the Indian team to accept the medal and the Asia Cup trophy. When the players refused, the PCB chief left the venue with the trophy in his possession, a move that has been hailed as patriotic by some Pakistani officials.
In response, Indian players, including Suryakumar Yadav, celebrated their victory with an imaginary trophy — a gesture that quickly went viral and drew global attention.
BCCI, PCB Headed for Showdown
The BCCI and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) are on course for a clash at next month’s ICC meeting, as PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi remains firm on personally presenting the Asia Cup trophy to India in his role as head of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).
In his response to the BCCI and other ACC members, Naqvi proposed holding a ceremony on November 10 in Dubai, where a BCCI representative and any available Indian player could receive the trophy from him.
“The ACC trophy rightly belongs to the Indian cricket team and is being held in trust till such time that a BCCI office holder along with any available participating player can collect the same from the ACC President,” Naqvi wrote in his reply.
“Such collection would of course be accompanied with much fanfare and coverage as there should be no deviation from established practices and no precedent should be set which undermines the spirit of the game we all love.”
Naqvi’s reply came after the BCCI’s fresh missive to the ACC on the Asia Cup trophy fiasco, which was backed by boards of Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.
“…as regards the remainder of your letter, slanderous as it may be and digressing as it does from the same values you highlighted, the office of the ACC President will not indulge in petty politics that is aimed to pacify select extremist groups,” the reply further reads.
“The true state of affairs is that there was never any official communication shared with ACC office or the Tournament Director highlighting any position or concern of the BCCI with respect to prize distribution ceremony.
“It was only when the Ceremony was about to take place and distinguished guests had taken their place on the stage that the BCCI’s representative conveyed that the Indian Cricket Team would not be receiving the Asla Cup Trophy and awards. Efforts were made to find a solution to the impasse which resulted in an inordinate delay.”
“The ACC president waited along with the distinguished guests for approximately 40 minutes to ensure that the integrity of the presentation ceremony was preserved and was not adversely affected by politics, but in vain,” the reply added.
A trusted PCB source revealed that the board’s legal department has been directed to prepare a dossier in case BCCI officials push to have Naqvi censured at the ICC board meeting. The move comes after the BCCI hinted at taking action if the trophy issue is not resolved promptly.