DUBAI: India captain Suryakumar Yadav will donate his entire match fee from the just-concluded Asia Cup to the country’s armed forces and the victims of Pahalgam terror attack.
India defeated bitter foe Pakistan by five wickets in the final to win the trophy on Sunday night here.
“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.
India players are entitled to Rs four lakh per match in the T20 format, which means that Suryakumar would be donating a total of Rs 28 lakh for the seven games played in the continental event.
The Indian team steadfastly refused to exchange pleasantries with the Pakistani side during the entire tournament, where it ended up beating Salman Ali Agha’s men on three consecutive Sundays.
Suryakumar had taken the lead in snubbing Pakistan at every opportunity during the tournament.
He also paid tribute to the Pahalgam attack victims and the Indian armed forces after his team beat the arch foes in a group match on September 14. A furious Pakistan had accused him of making political statements and sought a ban on him in its complaint to the ICC.
The world body had then asked him to refrain from making any statement that might be construed political, besides imposing a 30 per cent fine on his match fee of that day.
The BCCI has challenged the fine on him after Suryakumar pleaded not guilty during the ICC hearing last week.