After skipping handshakes at the coin toss, the Indian players once again avoided handshakes with the Pakistan players after their Asia Cup 2025 win on Sunday in Dubai.
Chasing a below-par 128 runs to win, India rode on birthday boy Suryakumar Yadav’s unbeaten 47 and knocks from Abhishek Sharma (31) and Tilak Varma (30) to romp home in 15.5 overs with seven wickets to spare.
Following the win, Suryakumar and Shivam Dube walked off to the Indian dugout and later to the pavilion. Pakistan, led by Salman Ali Agha, waited on the ground for the Indians but the Men in Blue never arrived. The Men in Green finally left the ground carrying a dejected a look.
Speaking on the no handshake stance, Suryakumar said the Indian players are aligned with the BCCI and the government. “We took a call as we came here to only play. We gave a proper reply. We are aligned with BCCI and government, ” said the Indian captain when asked about not shaking hands with Pakistan players after their win.
While Suryakumar spoke at the post-match presentation ceremony, Salman Agha chose not to come. However, the reason for Salman’s absence is yet to be known.
India beat Pakistan by 7 wickets
Meanwhile, the Men in Blue registered a convincing seven-wicket victory in a one-sided contest. Spinners Kuldeep Yadav (3/18) and Axar Patel (2/18) helped India restrict Pakistan to 127/9 after Salman Agha opted to bat first. In reply, India completed the chase in 15.5 overs with skipper Suryakumar Yadav (47 not out off 37 balls), Abhishek Sharma (31 off 13) and Tilak Varma (31 off 31) making significant contributions.
For Pakistan, Sahibzada Farhan scored a valiant 40 off 44 balls but the rest of the batters cut a sorry figure on a docile track. Shaheen Afridi hit a 16-ball 33 not out towards the end to take Pakistan past 125.