The Asia Cup Group A match between India and Pakistan turned out to be a one-sided contest as the Suryakumar Yadav-led side cruised home with seven wickets in hand and 25 balls to spare. However, the contest started off with no handshakes between Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Ali Agha. Before the match, there was plenty of chatter on social media as fans in India were not pleased with the contest going ahead despite the mood of the nation in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor. Boycott calls continued to reign supreme, and amid this highly politically charged backdrop, the contest was played. This was the first cricket match between the two countries after the war that broke out earlier this year.
At the toss, India captain Suryakumar refused the customary handshake with his Pakistan counterpart Salman Agha. As soon as Ravi Shastri introduced the two captains, Suryakumar opted not to go for the handshake.
Pakistan captain Agha won the toss and opted to bat first. At that point, there was no handshake between the two captains. Agha also did not extend his hand; he simply handed the team list to the umpire. After the chat with Shastri, he headed back to the dressing room. It also needs to be stated that there was no eye contact between the two skippers as well.
Ahead of the match against the arch-rivals, Indian assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said that his players are aware of the emotions of people back home and sympathise with their feelings. The Indian team, led by Suryakumar, decided to walk the walk.
{{/usCountry}}Ahead of the match against the arch-rivals, Indian assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said that his players are aware of the emotions of people back home and sympathise with their feelings. The Indian team, led by Suryakumar, decided to walk the walk.
{{/usCountry}}According to the Indian Express, Suryakumar Yadav made up his mind on the morning of the contest between India and Pakistan. He let his teammates know that he wouldn't be shaking hands with Agha. However, he told the rest of his team that it was their individual choice whether to shake hands with the Pakistan players.
Earlier this year, Pakistan all-rounder Faheem Ashraf insulted the Indian Armed Forces by mocking Operation Sindoor, and now he is part of the lineup that will face India in the Asia Cup.
Ahead of the match, Ryan ten Doeschate revealed that head coach Gautam Gambhir gave his team a simple message: focus on cricket and ignore the outside noise.
The handshake saga
Earlier this week, a controversy broke out after Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha walked off the stage during the official captain's press conference, seemingly snubbing a handshake with the Indian skipper.
However, videos and images surfaced later showing that Agha returned to shake Suryakumar's hand when the Indian captain was heading down from the stage. Fans in India didn't take kindly to Suryakumar shaking the hands of Agha and the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President Mohsin Naqvi, who also happens to be the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).