AB de Villiers slams India for not accepting Asia Cup trophy from Mohsin Naqvi

Former South Africa great AB de Villiers has expressed his opinion on the chaotic scenes that followed India’s Asia Cup 2025 victory. The former 360 degree batter demanded a clean separation between sports and geopolitics. 

De Villiers did not shy away from the optics of the presentation. While speaking about the incident, he said, “Team India sort of weren’t happy with who was handing out the trophy. I don’t feel that belongs in sports. Politics should stay aside. Sport is one thing, and it should be celebrated for what it is. Quite sad to see that, but hopefully they sort things out in the future. It does put the sport, the players, the sportsmen, the cricketers in a very tough position, and that’s what I hate to see. It was quite awkward there at the end.”

According to De Villiers, the off-field hostilities should not affect the dynamics on the field or anything around it. By refusing to conflate the ceremony with diplomacy, ABD framed the episode as an avoidable distraction that shifted the spotlight from the champions and their on-field brilliance.

Also Read: Asia Cup trophy row: Mohsin Naqvi insists on ceremony, India unlikely to agree

 “Let us focus on what’s most important (the cricket itself). India are looking really, really strong. Building up to that T20 World Cup. Remember, it’s not too far away. And they look like they’ve got a lot of talent, and they play the big moments well. So fantastic,” said de Villiers.