In the wake of the deadly Pahalgam terror attack in April, which severely strained diplomatic ties between the two nations, the Indian cricket team, led by head coach Gautam Gambhir and senior players, reportedly made a conscious decision to forgo handshakes with their Pakistani counterparts
Captains Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Ali Agha at the toss on Sunday (Pic: AFP)
The already intense rivalry between India and Pakistan on the cricket field took a political turn during their latest Asia Cup clash, as players from both sides refrained from the customary post-match handshake.
In the wake of the deadly Pahalgam terror attack in April, which severely strained diplomatic ties between the two nations, the Indian cricket team, led by head coach Gautam Gambhir and senior players, reportedly made a conscious decision to forgo handshakes with their Pakistani counterparts. According to sources within the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as per news agency PTI, the decision was not impulsive but the outcome of detailed internal discussions involving both the team management and board officials.
A senior BCCI official, speaking to PTI, clarified the team’s stance, saying, “Look, if you read the rule book, there is no specification about shaking hands with the opposition. It is a goodwill gesture and a sort of convention, not law, that is followed globally across the sporting spectrum.”
“If there is no law, then the Indian cricket team isn’t bound to shake hands with an opposition with whom there is a history of a strained relationship," the official added.
Pakistan waited for handshake but India went to the dressing room and closed the doors- Brutual 🔥💥 pic.twitter.com/sLEwce80DD
— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) September 14, 2025
Adding to the tension, match referee Andy Pycroft reportedly had to collect the team sheets himself, as the usual exchange between captains was skipped. Pakistani team manager Naved Cheema later issued a statement in Urdu, claiming that it was Pycroft who instructed Pakistan’s Salman Ali Agha to avoid shaking hands with Indian batter Suryakumar Yadav.
"We took a team call. We had come only to play. We had given them a reply. Some things are beyond sportsmanship. We dedicate this victory to our armed forces who took part in 'Operation Sindoor' and stand with the families of the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack," Suryakumar was quoted as saying, after the match.
The diplomatic coldness continued even after the final ball was bowled as Agha chose to skip the post-match presentation ceremony altogether.
The buildup to the encounter had already been charged with calls for a boycott from various Indian quarters, driven by national outrage over the Pahalgam terror attack and the subsequent military escalation along the border.
(With PTI inputs)
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