Ind vs pak: Indian cricket captain Suryakumar Yadav did not join hands with Pakistani captain Salman Ali Aga during the Asia Cup 2025 and has also defended his decision. Not only this, after the match, the Indian team did not join hands with Pakistani players, while Pakistan players were waiting near the boundary rope. The Indian players went straight to their dressing room and closed the door. It is a common tradition that both teams join hands with each other after the match.
When a journalist asked Suryakumar whether the refusal to join hands with the Pakistani team was against the spirit of the game, Surya replied that some things are more than the sportsmanship. Earlier, he had said in the post match ceremony that we are with the families of the accident in Pahalgam. We express our solidarity and dedicate this victory to our armed forces, which inspire us. On the decision not to join hands with the Pakistani team, Suryakumar said that the decision was taken with our government and BCCI. We only came here to play the game and I think we have given the appropriate reply.
Pakistan captain Salman Ali Aga did not attend the award ceremony after the Agga match. Pakistan’s head coach Mike Hessen said that the Pakistani team was disappointed due to the Indian team not joining hands, and so Salman did not attend the Aga prize distribution ceremony.
Suryakumar got strong opposition
Suryakumar Yadav faced another controversy during the press conference before the tournament in Dubai last week. During the meeting of the captains there, when he joined hands with Pakistani captain Salman Ali Aga, he faced a fierce criticism on social media. Apart from this, he also had to face criticism due to greeting with Mohsin Naqvi, head of Pakistan Cricket Board.
Distance from social media
Suryakumar Yadav said that the team had decided to distance away from social media so that they could only focus on sports. He said, “When we reached Dubai, I and my fellow players and coaching staff had decided that we would be 70-80 percent away from external discussion. We wanted us to follow our strategies better. I did not know what was happening outside, because my team used to keep me away from all these things.
Controversy over the match with Pakistan
In April, there was a terrorist attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, killing 26 innocent people. The terrorists opened fire on them by asking people religion. After this painful incident, India responded through Operation Sindoor, which further increased tension between the two countries. Subsequently, there was strong criticism for the decision to play the match against Pakistan. The Indian cricket team and the BCCI faced strict comments on social media. The BCCI organized the Asia Cup after getting approval from the Government of India. In August, the Sports Ministry allowed India to play matches against Pakistan. However, despite the approval of the government, many former cricketers and famous persons urged to boycott the match.
