Mumbai, Sep 29 (IANS) India skipper Suryakumar Yadav landed in his hometown Mumbai from Dubai on Monday, a day after leading the Men in Blue to the title in the Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025, beating Pakistan by five wickets in the final at the Dubai International Stadium.

Surya reached Mumbai in the evening along with his wife and was seen leaving the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in a black-coloured SUV. He did not speak to the media, thus making his statements in the post-match press conference after the final in Dubai as his final word on an event in which the Indian team’s off-field decisions made as much news as their performances in the matches.

The Indian team left Dubai early on Monday evening, with different groups of players landing in different destinations. Players who are part of the Test squad, along with head coach Gautam Gambhir and support staff, reached Ahmedabad, where India is scheduled to play the first Test against the West Indies in a few days. Other players who are not involved with the Test squad took flights to their respective destinations. The other Mumbai player in the Indian squad, Shivam Dube, too, has reportedly reached Mumbai.

Under Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy, India finished undefeated throughout the tournament, winning seven matches and beating archrivals Pakistan thrice. However, after the final, the Indian players not only did not shake hands with their vanquished opponents but also refused to receive the Asia Cup trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) president, who is also Pakistan’s interior minister. This was taking the Indian team’s stand not to acknowledge the Pakistan players and administrators from the country.

With Mohsin Naqvi refusing to budge from his stand that he will hand over the trophy as ACC president and the Indian team not ready to accept the trophy from him, the ACC president decided to leave the stadium with the trophy.

–IANS

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