After the Indian team didn’t turn up for the customary post-match handshake following its comprehensive seven-wicket win over archrival Pakistan in the Asia Cup in Dubai, skipper Suryakumar Yadav made it clear that there were some things beyond sportsmanship.
“I feel a few things in life are ahead of sportsman spirit. We stand with all the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack, and we stand with their families also, and express our solidarity. We dedicate this win to our brave armed forces who took part in Operation Sindoor, and as they continue to inspire us all, we will try our best to inspire them as well, if possible,” Suryakumar said in the post-match press conference.
The Indian captain avoided eye contact and defied convention by not shaking hands with his Pakistani counterpart, Salman Ali Agha, at the toss, and after finishing the match with a six, promptly walked back to the Indian dressing room.
The Pakistani players were left in the lurch, and after conducting the post-match handshake routine between themselves, waited fruitlessly for the Indian players to come out.
However, Suryakumar had no qualms about defying formalities and made his team’s stance amply clear. “We came here just to play the game, and we gave them a proper reply,” he said.
The match was held amidst calls for a boycott from a large section of the Indian public in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 this year, which left 26 people dead. The Indian armed forces responded with retaliatory strikes in May, which were aimed at dismantling terror infrastructure in Pakistan.
A military standoff ensued between the nuclear-armed neighbours, following which the Indian Sports Ministry devised a policy barring any bilateral engagement with Pakistan in the sporting field. However, it made an exception for multilateral events, such as the ongoing Asia Cup, since they are guided by the principles of international sports bodies.
With India and Pakistan grouped along with minnows UAE and Oman in the preliminary stage of the competition, the two archrivals are likely to meet again in the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup. They could even lock horns for a third time in the span of two weeks if they make it to the final of the tournament, scheduled for September 28.
Published on Sep 15, 2025