India Beat Pakistan by 7 wickets in Asia Cup 2025 left with no handshake

India Beat Pakistan: The Asia Cup 2025 cricket match between India and Pakistan on Sunday, September 14, 2025, was marred by a “no handshake” controversy. Following India’s seven-wicket victory, Indian players skipped the traditional post-match handshake with their Pakistani counterparts, which caused a significant stir.

After India secured their win, Indian players, led by captain Suryakumar Yadav, walked straight to their dressing room without shaking hands with the waiting Pakistani team. This act left Pakistan’s players, including captain Salman Ali Agha, and head coach Mike Hesson, visibly upset. Hesson later expressed his disappointment in the post-match press conference.

India’s captain, Suryakumar Yadav, explained the decision as a political statement, dedicating the win to India’s armed forces and expressing solidarity with the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack. He stated that “few things in life are ahead of sportsman spirit.”

This was the first match between the two teams since a military conflict in May, and the atmosphere was highly charged due to the recent terror attacks and calls for a boycott of the match. The tension was evident even before the game started. The captains did not shake hands at the toss, and there was a mix-up with the national anthems where the wrong song was played for Pakistan.

Pakistan’s team management lodged a formal protest with the match referee, Andy Pycroft, calling India’s behavior against the spirit of the game. In a sign of protest, Pakistan’s captain, Salman Ali Agha, did not attend the post-match presentation ceremony.

The chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Mohsin Naqvi, also serves as the chairman of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and lamented the incident on social media, saying, “Dragging politics into the game goes against the very spirit of sports.”

According to sources, the match referee had asked the captains to skip the customary handshake at the toss. It was also reported that match officials had granted India permission to skip the post-match handshakes, but this was not communicated to the Pakistan team, leading to the awkward situation. The match referee reportedly apologized to the Pakistan team manager after their protest.

The controversy has sparked a wide debate among cricket fans, former players, and media, with some supporting India’s stance as a response to a national tragedy and others criticizing it as a violation of sportsmanship.

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