Dubai – Former Indian captain Kapil Dev has expressed disappointment over the off-field controversies that overshadowed the 2025 Asia Cup, urging players from both India and Pakistan to focus on cricket and “let politicians do their job.”
His comments followed a heated tournament marred by political undertones, from repeated handshake snubs to India’s refusal to accept the trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chief and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi, which delayed the presentation for more than 90 minutes.
In a gesture of solidarity, the Pakistan cricket team announced that it would donate its match fees from the Asia Cup final to the children and civilians killed in the May 7 Indian attack. “Our prayers are with the affected families,” the PCB said in a statement.
Earlier, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav had pledged that his team would dedicate their Asia Cup match fees to the families of victims of the Pahalgam attack and the Indian army.
The final itself lived up to expectations, with India beating Pakistan by five wickets in the last over to claim their record-extending ninth Asia Cup title.
Politicising Cricket
The political overtones were evident throughout the tournament. Indian players repeatedly declined customary handshakes with Pakistan, while captain Suryakumar Yadav skipped the pre-toss photoshoot before the final. When asked at the post-match press conference about refusing the trophy, he declined to respond.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi added fuel to the debate with a post on X, celebrating “Operation Sindoor on the game’s field” after India’s win.
Kapil Dev’s Calls
Speaking to India Today, Kapil Dev criticised how cricket had been dragged into political rivalries.
“Shaking hands is not a big thing. You didn’t shake hands; it does not matter. You also announced that you don’t want to take the trophy from that man. That’s also fine. But you can’t linger on with this type of thing… Let the government do that job, let the politicians do that job,” he said.
Dev stressed that while patriotism among players is natural, their responsibility is to preserve the spirit of sport. “As a sportsman, I would like to see that we stick to sports. It will be much better,” he added, also urging the media not to escalate tensions.
