Aam Aadmi Party leader Saurabh Bharadwaj calls out Suryakumar Yadav for shaking hands with PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi

The Asia Cup 2025 final, which took place in Dubai between India and Pakistan, ended with a huge controversy when the Indian team refused to take the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the Asian Cricket Council, the head of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), and Pakistan’s Interior Minister.

This situation led to extensive discussions on social media and in political arenas. Saurabh Bharadwaj, who is Official Spokesperson of the Aam Aadmi Party, contributed to the debate by sharing a video on X that featured Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav shaking hands with Naqvi earlier in the tournament.

Suryakumar Yadav shakes hands with Mohsin Naqvi at Asia Cup 2025

At the beginning of the Asia Cup in Dubai, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav was filmed shaking hands with Mohsin Naqvi and posing for some photos. This happened before the final and while the tournament was ramping up, including a captains’ press conference on September 9, 2025. The video captures Yadav being friendly with Naqvi, which is quite different from how the Indian team presented themselves later during the trophy presentation.

Bharadwaj shared this video as a critique, emphasizing the clear inconsistency. He pointed out the beginning of the series where we could see Suryakumar Yadav shaking hands with Mohsin Naqvi and having taken some pictures together as well as a reply to BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya.

देखिए सीरीज़ की शुरुआत में, अभी 15 दिन पहले, पाकिस्तान के मंत्री मोहसिन नकवी के साथ हाथ भी मिलाया , फोटो भी खिंचवाया

मगर भारत में मैच का विरोध हुआ तो खिलाड़ियों को नई स्क्रिप्ट दी ताकि देश में प्रोपेगंडा चला सकें https://t.co/2GmHAZFXqJ pic.twitter.com/xdUAYkJxKa

— Saurabh Bharadwaj (@Saurabh_MLAgk) September 29, 2025

He went on to say that the players were provided with a “new script” to promote a nationalist agenda in India.

Bharatiya Janata Party leaders praise India for asserting New India against Pakistan

During the Asia Cup 2025, a T20 cricket event, India beat Pakistan in the final by five wickets on September 28, 2025. The post-match presentation turned a bit controversial when Mohsin Naqvi insisted on giving the trophy and medals to the Indian team. Team India refused, causing Naqvi to walk off with the trophy.

Another perspective is that this action was viewed as a message directed at Pakistan, especially given the recent happenings like the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, which intensified calls in India to refrain from playing matches against Pakistan.

The rejection was celebrated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders describing it as a declaration of New India. On the other hand, it was harshly criticized by opposition leaders like Bharadwaj, who grumbled over the pretense.

The tournament raked in a huge amount of money, with the India-Pakistan final alone said to have earned ₹690 crore from ads and broadcasting.