Dubai, UAE – The wide-ranging ramifications of an ongoing political standoff between India and Pakistan have led to a controversial conclusion of the archrivals’ cricket match on the Asia Cup 2025 in Dubai, the place India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav confirmed that his squad opted towards shaking arms with their opponents as a mark of protest.
When Sunday’s Group A fixture between the South Asian archrivals was confirmed after lengthy deliberations from the Indian authorities, followers and consultants had hoped that the on-field motion may assist cool the off-field warmth.
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Yadav, although, crushed all expectations by saying his workforce’s thumping seven-wicket win within the T20 match was a “excellent reply” to Pakistan within the wake of the extreme four-day cross-border battle that introduced each nations to the brink of an all-out struggle in Might.
“Our [Indian] authorities and the BCCI [Board of Control for Cricket in India] had been aligned on the choice to play this match. We got here right here simply to play the match and gave them [Pakistan] an ideal reply,” Yadav instructed the media shortly after the match.
What occurred on the finish of the India vs Pakistan match?
Yadav, who hit the successful runs for India, walked off the sector alongside his batting accomplice, Shivam Dube, with out approaching the Pakistani captain and workforce for the normal post-match handshakes.
Pakistan’s gamers trudged off in a gaggle and waited for the Indian squad and help employees to come back out and shake arms, as is the norm on the finish of cricket matches.
Nevertheless, the Indian contingent solely shook arms with one another earlier than strolling into their dressing room and shutting the door because the ready Pakistan gamers appeared on.
No handshakes between the groups. Salman Agha appeared to steer Pakistan over to the India dressing room, however nothing doing. All of them headed straight in #INDvPAK pic.twitter.com/0BbJtYdkAf
— Paul Radley (@PaulRadley) September 14, 2025
Why did Indian workforce refuse to shake arms with Pakistani gamers?
The Indian captain was requested to make clear his workforce’s actions and whether or not they had been in contradiction with the spirit of the game.
“A couple of issues in life are above sportsman’s spirit,” the 35-year-old swiftly responded.
“We stand with all of the victims of the Pahalgam terror assault and with their households, and dedicate this win to our courageous armed forces who took half in Operation Sindoor.”
Yadav was referring to the Indian armed forces’ a number of missile assaults on six places inside Pakistan.
India mentioned the missiles had been in response to the April 22 assault on vacationers in Indian-administered Kashmir in Pahalgam, through which 26 males had been killed. An armed group referred to as The Resistance Entrance (TRF), which calls for independence for Kashmir, claimed duty for the assault, however India had alleged Pakistani involvement.
Two days later, Pakistan responded to the missile strikes by attacking army installations throughout its frontier with India and Indian-administered Kashmir, placing a minimum of 4 amenities.
The battle ended 4 days later, because of an internationally-brokered ceasefire.
Whereas the alternate of aerial hearth got here to a halt, the diplomatic ties between the neighbours remained suspended, and the political rigidity spilled over into cricket when the fixture between India and Pakistan was introduced by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).
Did India break any guidelines by not shaking arms?
Consequently, the match was performed below a extremely charged political local weather, and when each captains didn’t indulge within the customary handshake on the pre-match toss, the main focus swiftly shifted to the interactions between the groups.
Nevertheless, Al Jazeera has discovered that the match referee, Andy Pycroft, had requested Yadav and his counterpart, Agha, to skip the pre-toss ritual.
“The match referee requested each captains to not shake arms on the toss,” an official of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), requesting anonymity, instructed Al Jazeera after the match.
Match officers additionally granted India permission to skip the post-match handshakes with Pakistan, however didn’t inform Agha or his workforce, in response to the supply.
This resulted in an awkward-looking post-match state of affairs, the place the Pakistani gamers adopted Yadav off the pitch and waited for the Indians to emerge, solely to observe them shut the dressing room door.
How did Pakistan reply?
Pakistan’s supervisor Naveed Akram Cheema lodged a protest towards the Indian cricket workforce’s actions with Pycroft, who’s an Worldwide Cricket Council (ICC) accredited match referee.
“The umpires had allowed the Indians to stroll off the sector with out shaking arms for which the match referee apologised after the protest of our workforce supervisor,” the official mentioned.
Moreover, Pakistan captain Agha didn’t communicate on the post-match captain’s chat with the host broadcaster in a mark of protest.
Mike Hesson, Pakistan’s head coach, confirmed that Agha’s refusal to indicate up for the discuss and the media briefing was a “follow-on impact” of the Indian workforce’s actions.
“We had been able to shake arms on the finish of the sport, however our opposition didn’t try this,” Hesson mentioned.
“We kind of went over there to shake arms, and so they had already gone into the altering room.”
Why are handshakes essential in cricket, and what’s the protocol?
As per the norm in cricket, the 2 on-field gamers of the workforce batting second shake arms with the fielding workforce and the umpires earlier than strolling off.
And in what’s now a standard follow in all worldwide cricket matches, the batting workforce then enters the bottom to shake arms with their opponents.
It affords each side to finish the match on a pleasant observe and alternate phrases of encouragement.
In the identical method, each groups’ captains shake arms earlier than the toss, which takes place half-hour earlier than the beginning of play.
The toss is performed by the match referee on the pitch and often broadcast reside.
Each captains and the match referee may also take pleasure in a pre-match chat relating to workforce lineups or some other issues of mutual curiosity for each groups.
The match referee may also meet a captain, head coach or supervisor of both workforce earlier than the match.
What have the match officers mentioned in regards to the incident?
The transfer was lamented by the ACC chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, who can also be the chairman of the PCB.
“Totally disappointing to witness the dearth of sportsmanship as we speak,” Naqvi mentioned in a submit on X.
“Dragging politics into the sport goes towards the very spirit of sports activities.”
Totally disappointing to witness the dearth of sportsmanship as we speak. Dragging politics into the sport goes towards the very spirit of sports activities. Lets hope future victories are celebrated by all groups with grace
— Mohsin Naqvi (@MohsinnaqviC42) September 14, 2025
Al Jazeera has reached out to the ACC for a touch upon the revelation that each captains had been requested to not shake arms on the toss.
The ACC has not but responded to the request.
Pakistan and India are prone to meet once more within the Asia Cup if each groups qualify for the Tremendous 4 stage.
India have all however certified after two wins in two video games, whereas Pakistan face the UAE in a must-win fixture on Wednesday.
Ought to each groups win their respective video games, their Tremendous Fours match will happen on Sunday in Dubai.
