Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha recalled the primary occasion of the handshake row throughout the Asia Cup 2025 and stated that his aspect even went to the Indian workforce dressing room after the sport for the formality. The Asia Cup final 12 months noticed India and Pakistan face thrice throughout which the no-handshake coverage began between the 2 sides.
Suryakumar Yadav and his aspect adopted the strategy in step with the nationwide sentiment following the Pahalgam assaults. Talking on a podcast, Agha stated that the information about no handshake happening was solely instructed to him simply earlier than the toss passed off.
“I went for the toss. Earlier than that, there was a press convention. There was a shake-hand, trophy shoot, there was a handshake,” Agha recalled in a video shared on social media. “After I was going for the toss, I used to be fairly regular. Clearly, I had an concept that it would not be that ordinary, however I did not know there could be no handshake. I did not have that concept.”
“I went for the toss with our media supervisor, Naeem Bhai,” Agha defined. “The match referee, I do not keep in mind his title, he took me apart and stated, ‘We’ll do it like this. There will not be a handshake.’ So, please have a look at that. I stated, ‘It is high quality if there’s not going to be a handshake. I’m not too eager both.’ So, that is what occurred. He instructed me beforehand that there will not be a handshake.”
WE WENT TO THEIR ROOM, STILL DIDN’T GET HANDSHAKE
Agha stated that he went with the workforce to greet the Indian workforce after the match however discovered that the door remained shut on them.
“After that, the match ended. We misplaced the match. We have been going to their pavilion (dressing room) for the handshake. They nonetheless did not do the handshake,” stated Agha.
The Pakistan captain stated that he is not a fan of the no handshake coverage and felt that it despatched the incorrect type of message to the up-and-coming expertise.
“And I’ve stated it many instances, I do not suppose that is proper,” Agha burdened. “As a result of if we’re representing a nation, and I play for Pakistan, folks have a look at me, and the children will choose up on that. And if this occurs in a membership recreation the following day, it will likely be due to me on the finish of the day. As a result of I am additionally part of it. So, while you’re a job mannequin, then I do not suppose it is a good factor to do.”
The no-handshake coverage between India and Pakistan has since continued within the Ladies’s ODI World Cup 2025, the Rising Stars Asia Cup in addition to the Underneath-19 Asia Cup. The U19 World Cup match between the 2 adopted the identical sample.
Even throughout the India vs Pakistan recreation in Colombo throughout the T20 World Cup 2026, the coverage continued between India and Pakistan gamers.
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