The former India captain reflected on the title win, the dressing room belief, and what wearing the India jersey meant to him.
On September 28, 2026, exactly one year after India lifted the Asia Cup 2025 trophy, former Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav shared a personal reflection on X that captured what the title meant to him and his teammates. The post drew attention for its warmth and the detail with which the former captain described the journey through the tournament.
India went through the entire tournament without a defeat, winning all seven matches. That run included three victories over Pakistan across the competition. Abhishek Sharma was named Player of the Tournament after scoring 314 runs in seven matches, the highest tally of the event.
"A year ago, we walked onto the field with one dream - to bring the Asia Cup home 🇮🇳🏆". He wrote about the belief inside the dressing room, the trust among players, the hard work put in, and the weight of performing under pressure in big moments. He added that looking back at pictures from the tournament served as a reminder of representing "a billion dreams" and called wearing the India jersey the greatest feeling. Forever grateful. Forever proud 🇮🇳," Suryakumar Yadav wrote.
A year ago, we walked onto the field with one dream - to bring the Asia Cup home 🇮🇳🏆
— Surya Kumar Yadav (@surya_14kumar) September 28, 2026
What followed was more than just a win. The belief in the dressing room, the trust in each other, the countless hours of hard work, the pressure of the big moments and finally, that feeling of… pic.twitter.com/0UeUMqsNhm
The match was played at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 28, 2025. India defeated Pakistan by five wickets, with Pakistan bowled out for 146 in 20 overs. India completed the chase, finishing at 150/5 in 19.4 overs. Tilak Varma remained unbeaten on 69 and was named Player of the Match for his innings.
Suryakumar had won the toss and elected to field. India made three changes to their lineup for the final, bringing in Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, and Shivam Dube in place of Hardik Pandya, Harshit Rana, and Arshdeep Singh respectively. The title was India's ninth Asia Cup and was won under Suryakumar's captaincy.
The final also produced notable moments off the field. At the post-match press conference, Suryakumar announced he would donate his entire Asia Cup 2025 match fee to the Indian Army. He also described the trophy presentation incident, in which the Indian team declined to accept the winners' trophy from ACC and PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi, as something he had never witnessed during his cricket career. The captains of India and Pakistan did not shake hands at the toss of the final, the third consecutive instance of that occurring during the tournament.