"Very sad the players were denied that" - Former batter opens up on Team India not receiving trophy after IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2025 final

Former batter Mohammad Kaif expressed his disappointment over the Indian players not receiving the trophy. They beat Pakistan by five wickets in the Asia Cup 2025 final.

Suryakumar Yadav and his men celebrated on the podium as he mock-lifted the trophy. Kaif reckoned that the players deserved it given their performance.

"What hurts is that the Indian team deserved that trophy moment, they earned the right to celebrate and pose for photos with it after all their hard work, especially after Tilak Varma’s remarkable unbeaten innings that won the final. With captain Suryakumar Yadav leading this young team, these moments become lifelong memories for all, the kind that inspire young players to aspire for India, just like seeing the 1983 World Cup trophy did for us. It’s very sad the players were denied that on the field, though the trophy will come to them later," he said on his YouTube channel. (0:51)

They chased 147 runs in 19.4 overs. It was not an easy chase as they lost quick wickets upfront. Tilak Varma struck an unbeaten 69 off 53 balls. Sanju Samson (24) and Shivam Dube (33) also provided able support.

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Mohammad Kaif credits India for taking down Haris Rauf

The Indian batters found it difficult against the Pakistan spinners in the middle. They were under pressure at one stage. However, they calculated the chase well and took down pacer Haris Rauf.

Kaif reflected that the move to target Rauf was the turning point. The Pakistani quick returned figures of 0/50 from 3.4 overs.

"The turning point was to target Haris Rauf. This was the plan. When the spinners were bowling there were difficulties. But when Rauf came to bowl, they felt they could target him and his pace. He does not have a lot of variations. The biggest smartness by India in this game was the calculation they did. Haris went for 50 runs off four overs. Smashing him showed that the game plan was solid. In pressure games, you need to use your mind. Many players have skills. But with this pressure, the one who uses his brain is the match-winner," he said.

While Pakistan were batting, they collapsed from 113/1 to 146/10. Kaif opined that Pakistan's young batters' weakness of being unable to handle spin well in the middle cost them.

"You can't practice for spinners like Kuldeep, Axar, and Varun with indoor sessions. Pakistan's young batters can play pace but their big weakness is playing spinners in the middle. They feel they will target the pacers later and cover up but that is not the case. You need to play like Tilak did against such bowlers. Kuldeep, Axar, and Varun are solid bowlers who have done these things in their careers many times."

Kuldeep was the star with four wickets. Axar Patel and Varun Chakaravarthy played key roles as well, bagging two scalps each.