BCCI’s Asia Cup embarrassment sets uneasy tone for Indian cricket’s turbulent 2025

Bengaluru, Dec 29: Indian cricket’s eventful 2025 will be remembered as much for its silverware as for a moment of deep institutional embarrassment, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) ending the year unable to physically bring home the Asia Cup trophy, which remains locked away in Dubai under Asian Cricket Council chief Mohsin Naqvi.
The unusual episode, stemming from strained India-Pakistan relations, cast a long shadow over a season otherwise dotted with white-ball success and historic milestones in women’s cricket, while exposing deeper cracks in the men’s red-ball structure.
On the field, the men dominated the limited-overs landscape, winning the Champions Trophy (ODI) and going unbeaten through the Asia Cup (T20).
Yet, the refusal to accept the Asia Cup trophy on the podium because it was to be presented by Naqvi — who also heads the Pakistan Cricket Board and serves as Pakistan’s interior minister — left Indian cricket in an awkward position.
The trophy now sits at the ACC office, with Naqvi insisting it will only be handed over in a formal, media-covered ceremony, a situation that has been widely viewed as an avoidable embarrassment for the world’s richest cricket board.
If white-ball cricket offered gloss, Test cricket delivered a reality check.
Under head coach Gautam Gambhir, India endured a bruising home season, culminating in a 0-2 Test series whitewash against South Africa. The defeat laid bare India’s growing vulnerabilities in the longest format and overshadowed much of the year’s limited-overs success.
The red-ball slide was not an isolated blip. The aftershocks of the 1-3 loss in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy were felt through 2025, with stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma bringing their Test careers to a close. Ravichandran Ashwin had already retired midway through that Australian tour, while Cheteshwar Pujara’s formal exit left a gaping hole in the middle order that remains unresolved.
Though Kohli and Rohit reaffirmed their commitment to ODIs by turning out in domestic cricket, as mandated by the BCCI, their absence from Tests signalled a generational shift that India is still struggling to manage.
The new World Test Championship (2025-27) cycle began under Shubman Gill’s leadership, and early signs were promising.
A young Indian side drew 2-2 in a five-Test series in England, with Gill producing a prolific run of form — 754 runs at an average of 75.40, including four centuries — second only to Don Bradman’s captaincy record from the 1936-37 Ashes.
Home wins against West Indies followed, briefly suggesting a smooth transition into a new era. That optimism, however, was dismantled by South Africa.
Led by a settled Temba Bavuma and powered by off-spinner Simon Harmer, the Proteas clinched their first Test series win in India in 25 years.
The loss echoed India’s earlier struggles against New Zealand spinners and highlighted a worrying weakness against spin, even on familiar surfaces.
India’s inability to chase a modest target of 124 in one of the Tests underlined how far the batting unit has slipped from its once-feared dominance at home.
India now sit sixth in the WTC standings, and with challenging tours of Sri Lanka and New Zealand scheduled in 2026, a place in the final already appears a distant prospect unless course corrections are made swiftly.
In contrast, white-ball cricket continued to be India’s comfort zone. Unbeaten campaigns in the Champions Trophy and Asia Cup reinforced their authority in ODIs and T20Is, especially in subcontinental conditions, offering Gambhir breathing space amid Test disappointments. With men’s and women’s T20 World Cups looming in 2026, the limited-overs pipeline still looks robust.
The defining story of the year, however, belonged to women’s cricket.
India’s women not only defended the Under-19 T20 World Cup but also shattered a long-standing glass ceiling by winning their maiden 50-over World Cup.
Harmanpreet Kaur’s side overcame traditional powerhouses Australia and New Zealand before defeating South Africa in the final, a triumph that has already translated into increased domestic match fees and a surge in endorsements.
Administratively, 2025 brought change. Mithun Manhas replaced Roger Binny as BCCI president, while several state associations saw leadership reshuffles, with former internationals such as Sourav Ganguly and Venkatesh Prasad returning to administrative roles.
Off the field, geopolitics intruded heavily into cricket. Following the Pahalgam terror attack and subsequent military escalation, diplomatic ties with Pakistan deteriorated sharply.
Indian players refused post-match handshakes during the Asia Cup and declined to receive the trophy, a chain of events that ultimately left Indian cricket without its silverware — a symbolic low point in an otherwise successful white-ball year.The year also witnessed tragedy in the IPL. Royal Challengers Bengaluru finally won their maiden title, ending an 18-year wait, but celebrations turned fatal when a stampede near the M Chinnaswamy Stadium claimed 11 lives and injured dozens.
The incident exposed glaring lapses in crowd management and stadium safety, with the franchise management drawing heavy criticism for pushing ahead with celebrations without adequate security clearance.
Taken together, 2025 was a year of sharp contrasts for Indian cricket — historic highs, painful failures and one avoidable embarrassment that saw Asia Cup glory celebrated, but not possessed by team India under watch of BCCI. (Agencies)