Legendary India captain Kapil Dev has called for the focus to remain on cricket rather than politics following the dramatic Asia Cup 2025 final between India and Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, September 28. India secured a thrilling five-wicket win over Pakistan but refused to accept the trophy and medals from Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board and the Asian Cricket Council.
The unusual stand-off led to a delayed and truncated presentation ceremony, with the Indian team celebrating their historic ninth Asia Cup victory on the field without the official awards. The tournament had already seen moments of controversy, with Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf fined 30 per cent of his match fee for a provocative ‘plane crash’ gesture during the Super Four stage. Meanwhile, Sahibzada Farhan received a warning for his ‘gunshot’ celebration after scoring fifty runs, which he defended as a cultural expression.
Kapil Dev, who led India to the iconic 1983 World Cup win, emphasised in an exclusive interview with India Today that cricket should remain free from political interference.
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“I just want to say — your responsibility, and responsibility for the entire media, is to look at the sport rather than the politics. Yes, the media has a role to report everything, but as a sportsman, I would like to see us stick to sports. It will be much better,” he said.
Reflecting on Pakistan’s cricketing standards today, Kapil noted a stark contrast with the golden era of the 1980s and 1990s, when legends like Wasim Akram, Javed Miandad, Zaheer Abbas, and Waqar Younis dominated world cricket.
“They don’t have the same talent they used to have in the ’80s or ’90s. Pakistan gave the world some of the best cricketers. Unfortunately, we don’t see similar talent today—not even one percent of what they once had,” he added.
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On the field, Pakistan started strongly with an opening stand of 84 between Fakhar Zaman and Sahibzada Farhan, but then collapsed, losing nine wickets for just 33 runs to finish at 146 in 19.1 overs. India, despite an early stumble losing three wickets, successfully chased the target with two balls to spare, underscoring their dominance in the tournament and cementing a memorable Asia Cup victory.
