DUBAI – The argument that started after India’s seven-wicket win over Pakistan in the Group A match of the Asia Cup 2025 has gotten worse. Pakistan’s team manager, Naveed Akram Cheema, has made an official complaint to match referee Andy Pycroft. The complaint is about how the Indian squad didn’t shake hands with their opponents after the game. The Pakistan administration said this was “against the spirit of sports.”
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) released an official statement saying that Cheema had filed a complaint about how the Indian squad acted. The statement also said that match referee Pycroft had told Pakistan’s captain, Salman Ali Agha, not to shake hands with India’s skipper, Suryakumar Yadav, before the game. The PCB says, though, that there was no order for the usual post-match procedures.
The backlash continued when Salman Agha refused to do the post-match presentation with the official broadcaster, Sony, in protest of what happened. “Salman Ali Agha skipped the post-match presentation in protest against the behavior of the Indian team,” said a PCB statement.
The incident on the field happened after Suryakumar Yadav struck the last six. He and his teammate Shivam Dube didn’t say hello to the other team; they went straight to the locker room. It looked like neither team wanted to shake hands at first. But things changed when the whole Pakistani squad, led by Captain Agha and coach Mike Hesson, went to the Indian dressing room to shake hands. The Indian management then allegedly closed the door, leaving the Pakistani players outside.
Mike Hesson, the coach of Pakistan, was clearly upset by this. Later, he spoke at a press conference to explain his team’s side of the story. He said that his men were “ready to shake hands,” but the other side “didn’t respond.”
Suryakumar Yadav, on the other hand, explained India’s actions and dedicated the win to the Indian Armed Forces and the those who died in the Pahalgam terror assault. “We stand by the families of the people who died in the Pahalgam terror attack.” “We stand with you,” he stated during the ceremony. “Some things in life are more important than athletics… We want to give the win to all of our gallant armed forces.
The tension on the pitch is a reflection of the political climate around the event. Boycott calls had been going around in India before the game. They were spurred by indignation over the recent terror assault in Pahalgam, Kashmir, which killed 26 people and forced India to begin “Operation Sindoor.”
This event, which converted a sporting event into a political statement, has brought attention to the long-standing tensions between the two countries. Many people are now wondering if this is the new normal for one of the largest rivalries in sports.