India captain Suryakumar Yadav declared that he will give the nation’s armed forces and the victims of the Pahalgam terror assault his whole match pay from the Asia Cup title victory.
On Sunday night, India won the trophy by defeating Pakistan by five wickets in the final in Dubai.
“I have decided to donate my match fees from this tournament to support our Armed Forces and the families of the victims who suffered from the Pahalgam terror attack. You always remain in my thoughts. Jai Hind,” the 35-year-old posted on ‘X’ after the high-voltage win.
The Indian squad and support staff who won the Asia Cup will receive Rs 21 crore in prize money, according to the BCCI.
Suryakumar responded to the controversy surrounding the Asia Cup presentation, stating, “It’s the winning team that’s remembered, not the trophy,” after his team declined to accept the top prize from Asian Cricket Council chief and Pakistan’s interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi.
“I have never seen this before — winning team not receiving trophy… But for me, my players and support staff are the real trophies,” Suryakumar said in the post-match press conference.
“We took this call on the ground. No one told us to do this,” he said on not accepting Asia Cup trophy from Mohsin Naqvi.
