Asia Cup: India ditch post-match Pakistan handshake, in line with Modi govt directives

DUBAI: India’s seven-wicket win over Pakistan in the Asia Cup clash at Dubai Stadium on Sunday was eclipsed by off-field drama after Indian players skipped the customary post-match handshake.

Instead of greeting their opponents, Suryakumar Yadav and teammate Shivam Dube exchanged fist bumps after hitting the winning runs, congratulated each other, and then headed straight to the dressing room.

Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha and head coach Mike Hesson later approached the Indian camp, but no players came out.

Hesson called it “a disappointing way for the match to end.”

“We were ready to shake hands at the end, but the opposition had already gone to the dressing room,” he said.

Pakistan, in protest, refused to attend the post-match ceremony as tensions flared in a match which was the first between the bitter rivals since May´s military action.

The cross-border clashes were sparked after an attack in Pahalgam in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in April, which killed 26 people, with India blaming Pakistan.

A mix-up with Pakistan’s anthem before the start had already made the atmosphere tense.

The coach also shed light on Agha’s absence from the customary post-match presentation, linking it to the incident.

“I think it was just a flow-on effect. We were keen to engage and shake hands at the end of the match, that didn’t happen, and that was pretty much the end of it,” he explained.

"The team manager, Naveed Cheema, lodged a protest with match referee Andy Pycroft after the match," said Pakistan's team management in a statement after the match.

"The behaviour of Indian players was against the spirit of sportsmanship," it added. "That is why skipper Agha was not sent to the post-match ceremony."

India's victorious captain, Suryakumar, defended his team's decision not to shake hands with the defeated Pakistan players on Sunday, saying that it was taken in alignment with their government and cricket board.

"We are aligned with the government and Board of Control for Cricket in India," said Suryakumar after scoring 47 not out as India chased down a modest Pakistan target of 128 in 15.5 overs.

“Some things are above sportsmanship. Is it really sportsmanship if you don’t even shake hands with the opposing team? That was our answer.”

The handshake issue had also come up earlier when Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Ali Agha did not shake hands at the toss.

New Delhi resisted the calls to boycott the match and cleared the team to play Pakistan only in multi-national events.

India, with two wins from two, are nearly through to the next Super Fours stage of the tournament with their final group match against Oman on Friday.

Pakistan play the UAE next on Wednesday and despite the defeat to India, are expected to make the next stage.

— Additional input from AFP