Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha (left) and India skipper Suryakumar Yadav throughout toss ceremony for Asia Cup 2025 Tremendous 4 at Dubai Worldwide Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, September 21, 2025. — Screengrab
DUBAI: Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav as soon as once more skipped a customary handshake with Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha throughout the toss, because the arch-rivals conflict in a high-stakes ACC Males’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 Tremendous 4 encounter on the Dubai Worldwide Cricket Stadium.
After successful the toss, Suryakumar Yadav elected to bowl first and walked straight previous Pakistan’s skipper to Ravi Shastri for the pre-match dialogue, whereas Salman Ali Agha mirrored the gesture.
The handshake snub comes within the backdrop of an ongoing row between the arch-rivals, stemming from the group-stage conflict, which attracted appreciable consideration each on and off the sphere.
The drama started when the Indian captain crossed all boundaries of sportsmanship by utilizing his post-match presentation speech to tug politics into cricket, a transfer described by many observers as “unprecedented” and “damaging for the spirit of the game”.
Compounding the stress was India’s refusal to change a standard handshake on the toss ceremony — an omission reportedly directed by match referee Andy Pycroft.
Issues escalated to the purpose the place the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) thought-about pulling out of the Asia Cup altogether. The scenario was defused solely after Pycroft admitted to mishandling points of the controversy and expressed remorse, in response to PCB.
Nonetheless, the Worldwide Cricket Council (ICC) has but to provoke any formal inquiry into the matter, one thing that has left the PCB deeply dissatisfied.
The Suryakumar-led facet is getting into the conflict unbeaten with three wins in as many matches within the Group stage, whereas Pakistan managed to defeat two affiliate groups, UAE and Oman, however suffered a defeat in opposition to the arch-rival in a one-sided encounter final Sunday.
Amid this controversy, the Pakistan cricket crew — a day earlier — cancelled its scheduled pre-match press convention. Though the crew administration gave no motive.
India gained the September 14 group match by seven wickets in Dubai and afterwards refused to shake palms with their opponents, angering Pakistan. It was the primary assembly between the neighbours since a four-day armed battle in Could left greater than 70 individuals useless.
