The recent match of India vs Pakistan for Asia Cup 2025, recently sparked several controversies before and after the match. The match was initially being criticized by the Indian citizens as some believed that Indian team should not come on the same ground with Pakistan after the Pahalgam attack of April 2022. The citizens questioned the integrity of Indian cricket team players and argued that for players, money lies above all. Despite the controversy, the match was held at the Dubai stadium on 14th September 2025. After the match the people noticed that the Indian team won the game and also chose not to shake hands with the Pakistani Players.
What happened?
Once any cricket match is over, it is an obligation of both the teams on the ground to shake hands with each other as a tradition to represent good sportsmanship. However, negating this tradition at the Asia Cup 2025 match, Indian team players walked straight off the field after the match was completed while the Pakistani Players were expecting the traditional handshake post-match from the Indian team.
India’s Explanation
Indian team captain, Surya Kumar Yadav addressed the media in the post-match conference. He was questioned by the reporters for the no-handshake action on the field to which Yadav stated that the no-handshake decision of the Indian team was a collective decision. It was done to pay respect to the people who became victims of Pahala gam attack. He stated that some things come beyond cricket for them and this moment was one of them. The head coach of Indian team, Gautam Gambhir is also believed to be supporting this decision of the Indian team. The team altogether believed that this was one of those moments where they wanted to pay respect to the ones who lost their lives in terror attacks.
Pakistan’s Strong Reaction
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) responded to the incident by filing an official complaint with the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), the team manager of Pakistan, Naveed Cheema, called this gesture of Indian players as “unsporting.” Pakistan’s head coach Mike Hasson also stated his disappointment with the actions of India team and mentioned that the Pakistani players were expecting for a handshake after the match. Post this incident, the Pakistani player, Salman Agha was also refrained from being a part of the post-match ceremony which was supported by Shoaib Malik (former Pakistani player).
Historical Context
The no-handshake gesture of Indian cricket team got ignited due to the heightened political tensions between the arch-enemy countries i.e. India and Pakistan. The Pahalgam attack of April 2025 which costed lives of many Indians and the subsequent military response of ‘Operation Sindoor’, the relations between the nations have been completely strained.
After the announcement of the match between India and Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025, the match and the Indian team faced a lot of backlashes, some even asked the match to be boycotted, however, since this was not possible, the Indian team took a symbolic approach representing a middle ground for the match supporting sporting and national sentiments.
Looking ahead
The Asian Cricket Council now faces the delicate task of addressing Pakistan’s formal complaint while maintaining the tournament’s focus on cricket. With both teams likely to advance to the Super Four stage, and potentially meet again in the final, organizers are concerned about the atmosphere in future encounters. This incident had ignited the debates about relationship between sports and politics. As the Asia cup progresses, all eyes are on how the both teams will conduct themselves in future matches.
After gaining the victory with seven wickets, Indian team will now have their next group match against Oman on Friday. However, the question of whether ‘what Indian team did was an unjustified behaviour in sports’ is justified or not still lingers. Experts and fans from the both the nations have presented a divided opinion on this. While some supported India’s stance, other argued that sports should not be affected with politics. However, the handshake refusal represents a form of symbolic protests to show the world the personal challenges sportsmen have to face who compete at international level while navigating complex national issues, especially like the rising tension between India and Pakistan.
