In a repeat of earlier incidents, India captain Suryakumar Yadav chose not to shake hands with Pakistan captain Salman Agha ahead of Asia Cup 2025 final in Dubai.
This marks the third time he has avoided the customary handshake against Pakistan this tournament.
India wins toss and have opted to field
Suryakumar Yadav, after winning the toss, said: “We are looking to bowl first. It looks like a good wicket. The wicket gets better under lights. We have been batting well first but we would like to chase today. The groundsmen have done a terrific job with the wickets here and it will stay the same. The brand of cricket we have been playing for the last 5-6 games is pretty good and we would like to continue that. Unfortunately Hardik misses out due to a niggle. Bumrah, Dube and Rinku come in.”
Earlier, during the group-stage match, India defeated Pakistan by seven wickets. After the game, Suryakumar refused to shake hands at the toss and post-match, dedicating the victory to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack.
Pakistan saw this as a political statement, and the incident drew widespread criticism.
The tension continued in the Super Four match, where India again emerged victorious. Suryakumar once more skipped the handshake, escalating the controversy. The repeated avoidance of the gesture has intensified debates over sportsmanship, on-field conduct, and the highly charged India-Pakistan rivalry.
Pak skipper Salman Agha said he’s happy to bat first: Definitely happy to bat first. We are very excited and looking forward to this game. We haven’t played a perfect game and hopefully we play one today. Same side. We have been playing on these pitches for a while and it will play the same.
Playing XIs
Pakistan (Playing XI): Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha(c), Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris(w), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.
India (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson(w), Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy.
