India and Pakistan are set to clash on September 14 in their Asia Cup Group A match in Dubai.
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Handshake Snub Sparks Buzz Ahead of Asia Cup 2025
The Asia Cricket Council (ACC) on Tuesday organised the customary captains’ press conference, where the skippers of all eight participating teams met ahead of the start of the 2025 edition of the Asia Cup, which will be played in the UAE. The majority of the questions were directed towards Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha and his India counterpart Suryakumar Yadav. India head into the contest as the reigning T20 World champions and defending Asia Cup winners, while Pakistan recently won the tri-series in the country, featuring hosts UAE and Afghanistan. However, the moment that had entire social media talking was when the two captains ignored each other for a handshake.
Just when the press conference ended, Salman got up from his seat immediately and rushed off the stage along with the Hong Kong and Oman captains. Suryakumar, on the other hand, stayed back for a small chat with the Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh captains. They all shook hands, hugged, and then came off the stage.
Interestingly, this wasn’t the first time this year a handshake—or the lack of it—involving Indian players became a talking point. Earlier this summer, during the tour of England for the five-match Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series, a similar moment had sparked quite a debate among experts and fans on social media. It happened during the fourth Test at Old Trafford, when England skipper Ben Stokes offered a handshake to India’s Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, accepting the draw. But the two Indian batters denied and continued to bat to reach their respective centuries, leading to a heated exchange between the players from the two teams. While a few argued in favour of England, saying it was against the spirit and sportsmanship, most reckoned Sundar and Jadeja were well within their rights to decline the handshake offer, having courageously negated the threat to draw the game.
The Asia Cup presser incident between the two captains only added fresh fuel to the narrative of rising tensions ahead of their showdown. If nothing else, it set the tone for September 14, when the arch-rivals meet in their Group A clash at the Dubai International Stadium.
— The Game Changer (@TheGame_26) September 9, 2025
‘Aggression’ key for India in Pakistan game
Suryakumar Yadav has underlined that aggression will be the key to India’s success against Pakistan in their second group match of the Asia Cup. India will open their campaign on Wednesday against hosts UAE.
In response, Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha downplayed the need for a singular approach, stressing that every player has their own style. He backed his team to play with freedom and confidence.
“You don’t need to say anything to any player because everyone is individually very different. If someone wants to be aggressive in the field, they are more than welcome to do that,” Agha remarked.