Tuesday Sep 23, 2025
Tuesday Sep 23, 2025
Tuesday, 16 September 2025 03:24 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
No handshakes were exchanged before or after India’s seven-wicket win over Pakistan in the Asia Cup on Sunday as tensions between the two countries spilled out onto the field in Dubai.
Suryakumar Yadav, the winning Captain, said India had decided before the match – in alignment with the BCCI and the Indian Government – that they would not shake hands with the opposition, a move that left Pakistan visibly disappointed. Mike Hesson, the Pakistan Coach, said the team had been waiting after the game to shake hands only to discover India were snubbing them.
That led to their Captain Salman Agha not appearing for the post-match TV interview, as is a broadcast norm. Pakistan’s displeasure over these events has extended as far as match referee Andy Pycroft.
Hours after the match ended, the PCB said in a statement that Pakistan’s Team Manager Naveed Akram Cheema had registered a “formal protest” against the match referee’s behaviour, as he had “requested the Captains to not shake hands during the toss.”
This was the first meeting between the two sides since India and Pakistan exchanged cross-border hostilities following the Pahalgam terror attack in April, and uncertainty had surrounded the match in the intervening months, with several calls for India to boycott it.
Clarity only emerged when the Indian Government came out with its official policy for sporting engagements with Pakistan, green lighting meetings in multilateral events while refusing to engage in bilateral contests. All that remained to be seen was how the match would play out against this backdrop.
“Our Government and BCCI – we were aligned today,” Yadav said. “Rest, we took a call (about not shaking hands). We came here to just play the game. We have given a proper reply.”
When asked if their refusal to shake hands was against sporting spirit, Yadav said: “Few things in life are ahead of sportsman spirit also. I’ve said it at the presentation as well, we stand with all the victims of Pahalgam terror attacks, stand with their families, and express our solidarity.”
Hesson expressed “disappointment” at India’s stance.
“We were ready to shake hands at the end of the game, we obviously are disappointed that our opposition didn’t do that. We sort of went over there to shake hands and they’d already gone into the changing room. That was a disappointing way for the match to finish, and a match we were disappointed for the way we played, but we were certainly willing to shake hands,” he said.
Hesson said teammate Salman Ali Agha’s absence from the presentation ceremony was a “follow-on effect” of India’s refusal to shake hands. The PCB statement confirmed this, terming India’s actions to be “against sportsmanship.”
