Salman Ali Agha has reopened the debate around Asia Cup 2025 handshake controversy, revisiting an incident that drew widespread attention during last year’s tournament. The incident took place when the Indian captain Surya Kumar Yadav chose not to engage in the traditional pre-match handshake with his Pakistani counterpart. The decision was seen as an expression of solidarity with the victims. First terrorist attackwhich claimed 26 lives, and was followed by a time of great stress Operation Sindoor.The stance was not limited to the toss. Indian players also refrained from shaking hands after matches, keeping the approach in all three events PakistanAll, including the final, were won by India. The issue has now resurfaced after Agha spoke about it during an appearance on the ARY podcast.
He revealed that initial talks between the two sides were normal. “Before the tournament, a press conference was held, during which a handshake took place. We also shook hands during the trophy photo shoot. So, when I went for the toss, I was completely normal. Of course, I knew things wouldn’t be normal, but I didn’t think it would escalate to the point where there wouldn’t be a handshake. I didn’t expect that,” Agha said.Agha also said that he was informed about the decision in advance. “I went to the toss with my media manager Naeem Bhai. The match referee – I don’t remember his name – took me aside and told me, ‘They are going to do it, there will be no handshake, so please keep that in mind’. I replied, ‘If there is no handshake, so be it’. It was not like I had said before the handshake how I shook hands. That there would be no handshake. After the match ended, we lost, and we were walking to their pavilion to shake hands, they still didn’t shake hands.”Reflecting on the wider implications, Agha emphasized the responsibility that comes with being a public figure. “I’ve said it many times, I don’t think it’s the right thing to do. When we represent a nation and I play for Pakistan, people look at me. The kids will love it, and if it happens the next day in a club game, it will somehow be because of me, because I’m part of it. When you’re a role model, I believe it’s important to do these things.”The controversy went beyond the discussions on the field. During the post-match presentation of the Asia Cup final, the Indian team refused to accept the trophy from Asian Cricket Council chief Mohsin Naqvi, who is also Pakistan’s interior minister and head of the Pakistan Cricket Board. The players kept their distance, indicating uneasiness over his character and previous remarks about India.The ceremony was delayed, and although individual awards were handed out, the trophy presentation did not go ahead completely. Naqvi eventually left the venue with the trophy, which India has yet to officially receive despite winning the tournament. India later maintained the same pattern of not shaking hands during the T20 World Cup, indicating that this stance was not a one-off decision but part of an ongoing position.
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Do you think the policy of not shaking hands during Asia Cup 2025 was justified?
