No handshake again as India and Pakistan play another ill-tempered Asia Cup T20 match
India-Pakistan feud continues during Asia Cup clash
- Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav declined to shake hands with his Pakistani counterpart Salman Agha at the toss of their Asia Cup Super 4 match in Dubai, repeating an earlier group stage incident.
- Following India's victory, Indian batters again bypassed the traditional post-match handshake with Pakistani players, instead only greeting umpires and officials.
- Yadav dismissed the notion of a “rivalry” between the teams, highlighting India's dominant head-to-head record, which now stands at seven consecutive wins against Pakistan in men's internationals.
- Pakistan previously accused India of poor sportsmanship after the 14 September match, lodging a formal complaint and claiming match referee Andy Pycroft had apologised for a “miscommunication” regarding the handshake ritual.
- The ongoing refusal to shake hands is linked to heightened geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan, stemming from incidents like the Pahalgam attack and subsequent military escalations, with a US president announcing a ceasefire at the time.