VOI World/ Astha Pandey
India marked its Asia Cup 2025 finale victory over Pakistan. But this year, this tournament has witnessed various twists and turns, the match of cricket got overshadowed with off-fi eld politics and recently former Indian captain Kapil Dev spoke about it.
In an interview, Kapil Dev emphasized on the need to separate sports from politics. “The responsibility lies with all of us, including the media, to focus on the sport itself rather than the politics around it,” he said. His words also reflect a desire to preserve the spirit of cricket, even when diplomatic tensions among the countries rise.
The final match concluded with an award ceremony, which became a point of mismanagement when the Indian Team declined to accept the trophy and medals from Pakistan’s Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as the head of the Pakistan Cricket Board and the Asian Cricket Council. This led to further escalation of the presentation getting delayed and the celebrations felt muted, where Indian Players were not presented with the trophy. They celebrated their win with an imaginary trophy. This whole incident is a highlight for how external issues and tension between nations can intrude on important sports moments too.
However, Kapil Dev reflected on Pakistan’s cricket journey, noting that the country’s current team and talent pool does not match the legendary players of the 1980s and 1990s. “Pakistan has given the world some of the finest cricketers, but sadly, today we don’t see even a fraction of that talent,” he observed.
Despite the various controversies, the veteran cricketer’s message was simple, the game itself should take center stage. For cricket fans and the players could relate, this reminder is both well timed and duly necessary. Cricket as a sport holds soft power, an emotional connection with people which is meant to unite, not divide.
