India had to face defeat from Pakistan by a margin of 191 runs in the final of Under-19 Asia Cup. This defeat was disappointing for the Indian team, because India had easily defeated this Pakistan team in the group stage. Team India did not look that impressive in the final and remained the runner-up.
Ayush Mhatre refused to accept the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi
In the presentation ceremony held after the final, Indian captain Ayush Mhatre refused to accept the trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi. Instead, India received the trophy from Afghanistan Cricket Board Chairman Mirwais Ashraf. Many questions were raised regarding this decision, especially whether Naqvi will give the trophy to India in this tournament like the senior team’s Asia Cup or not.
Actually, there was a solid reason behind doing this. As per ACC protocol, the Chairman presents the trophy to the winning team. Pakistan was the winner in this final, hence Naqvi had to give the trophy to Pakistan. At the same time, the trophy can be given to the runner-up team by another member of the ACC. Under this rule, India took the trophy from the Chairman of Afghanistan Cricket Board.
If India had won, the trophy would have been handed over by Naqvi and then a similar situation could have arisen as happened in the senior team’s Asia Cup. Even then India had refused to accept the trophy from the Pakistani official, which had created some diplomatic tension.
Cricket relations between India and Pakistan tense
Another reason behind this decision of India is related to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam in April 2025. After this incident, cricketing relations between India and Pakistan remained tense. India faced Pakistan thrice in the Senior Asia Cup held in September 2025, but did not shake hands with Pakistani players every time. The youth team also continued the same tradition and avoided accepting the trophy from any Pakistani official in the final.
Thus, India’s performance in the Under-19 Asia Cup final was weak on the field, but the team kept its stand clear in the matter of accepting the trophy. This tradition has been a part of the Indian team’s policy in all major tournaments from the Women’s ODI World Cup to the Under-19 Asia Cup.
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