Separate presenters for India, Pakistan at Asia Cup 2025 final toss

DUBAI: In an unusual arrangement, separate presenters interviewed Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha and his Indian counterpart Suryakumar Yadav after the toss at the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 final.

Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav was interviewed by Ravi Shastri, while Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha spoke with Waqar Younis.

This followed India’s insistence that their captain be interviewed only by an Indian presenter — not a neutral one as initially offered by the organisers. Consequently, Pakistan also had its captain interviewed by a Pakistani presenter.

The same arrangement will continue for the post-match presentations, where each captain will only face questions from a presenter of his own country.

In a repeat of past encounters, Indian captain Yadav once again refused a customary handshake with Pakistan skipper Salman Agha at the toss, marking the third such snub as the arch-rivals locked horns in the high-pressure final of the Asia Cup.

The handshake snub comes in the backdrop of an ongoing row between the arch-rivals, stemming from the group-stage clash, which attracted considerable attention both on and off the field.