No handshakes were exchanged before or after India‘s seven-wicket win over Pakistan in the Asia Cup on Sunday as tensions between the two countries spilled out onto the field in Dubai.
Suryakumar Yadav, the winning captain, said India had decided before the match – in alignment with the BCCI and the Indian government – that they would not shake hands with the opposition, a move that left Pakistan visibly disapppointed. Mike Hesson, the Pakistan coach, said the team had been waiting after the game to shake hands only to discover India were snubbing them.
That led to their captain Salman Agha not appearing for the post-match TV interview, as is a broadcast norm. Pakistan’s displeasure over these events has extended as far as match referee Andy Pycroft. Hours after the match ended, the PCB said in a statement that Pakistan’s team manager had registered a “formal protest” against him, because he had “requested the captains not to shake hands during the toss”.
This was the first meeting between the two sides since India and Pakistan exchanged cross-border hostilities following the Pahalgam terror attack in April, and uncertainty had surrounded the match in the intervening months, with several calls for India to boycott it. Clarity only emerged when the Indian government came out with its official policy for sporting engagements with Pakistan, greenlighting meetings in multilateral events while refusing to engage in bilateral contests.
All that remained to be seen was how the match would play out against this backdrop.
“Our government and BCCI – we were aligned today,” Suryakumar said at his post-match press conference. “Rest, we took a call [about not shaking hands]. We came here to just play the game. We have given a proper reply.”
Asked if their refusal to shake hands was against sporting spirit, Suryakumar said: “Few things in life are ahead of sportsman spirit also. I’ve [said] it at the presentation as well, we stand with all the victims of Pahalgam terror attacks, stand with their families, and express our solidarity.”
Hesson expressed “disappointment” at India’s stance.
“We were ready to shake hands at the end of the game, we obviously are disappointed that our opposition didn’t do that,” he said. “We sort of went over there to shake hands and they’d already gone into the changing room.
“That was a disappointing way for the match to finish, and a match we were disappointed for the way we played, but we were certainly willing to shake hands.”
Hesson said Agha’s absence from the presentation ceremony was a “follow-on effect” of India’s refusal to shake hands. The PCB statement confirmed this, terming India’s actions to be “against sportsmanship”.
“Manager Naveed Akram Cheema has registered a formal protest against the match referee’s behaviour,” the PCB statement said. “Match referee requested the captains not to shake hands during the toss.”
Pycroft’s response to Pakistan’s statement is awaited.