17 September,2025 01:45 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Irfan Pathan (Pic: File Pic)
The Asia Cup 2025 match between arch-rivals India and Pakistan ended in the Men in Blue's favour at the Dubai International Stadium.
After the match, Team India skipper Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube didn't shake hands with any of the Pakistani players, which in turn led to mixed reactions from active and former players.
Former Team India all-rounder Irfan Pathan also expressed his opinion on the "no handshake" row by saying that such decisions are made when the players, board and the government are aligned.
"The cricketers, BCCI and the govt of India are aligned. Everything runs in the alignment of the situation and it is also an individual decision," he said.
He further underlined that while the controversy has dominated headlines, the Indian team's performance on the field remains the bigger story.
"Indian team is playing very well. All controversy is on one hand and the way the Indian team is moving ahead is on the other," Pathan added.
The decision of not shaking hands with any of the Pakistani players came in as a respect for the families who lost their loved ones in the Pahalgam terror attack earlier in the year.
Later, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) demanded the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the immediate removal of the match referee Andy Pycroft from the ongoing Asia Cup 2025.
The board also accused Pycroft of violating the International Cricket Council (ICC) Code of Conduct during the match.
However, the ICC has rejected PCB's demand to remove the umpire from the panel.
"Late last night, ICC had sent a reply to PCB stating that Pycroft won't be removed and their plea has been rejected," an ICC source told PTI.
The 69-year-old Zimbabwean is due to officiate Pakistan's final group stage game against the UAE on Wednesday.
During the match, Pakistan batted first and managed to post a total of 127 runs for the loss of nine wickets. Sahibzada Farhan top-scored with 40 runs off 44 balls, including one boundary and three sixes. Later, Shaheen Shah Afridi provided some late fireworks, playing an unbeaten knock of 33 runs off just 16 deliveries, which included four sixes.
In reply, the Men in Blue comfortably chased down the target, scoring 131 for 3 in 15.5 overs. Abhishek Sharma gave India a blazing start, hammering 31 runs off just 13 balls, including four boundaries and two sixes. Later, Suryakumar anchored the chase with a composed, unbeaten 47 off 37 balls, featuring five fours and one six.
(With ANI Inputs)
