Asia Cup 2025: India maintain no-handshake policy against Pakistan in Super Four encounter

Cold vibes continue in IND vs PAK game at Asia Cup. (AP Photo)

India and Pakistan are all set to clash again in the ongoing Asia Cup tournament today, a week after their last match was overshadowed by a handshake row. The much-awaited September 14 fixture in Dubai, won by India, hit headlines for off-field drama, both pre and post-match. Now on September 21, Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Ali Agha again didn't shake hands during the toss of the Asia Cup Super Four clash as well.

"We'll bowl first. Looks a nice track and yesterday there was dew. Since first round we were thinking we're playing a knockout tournament, nothing changes. That was a completely different wicket (in Abu Dhabi). Quite normal, just another game. Bumrah and Varun come back for Arshdeep and Harshit," said Surya after winning the toss.

On September 14, it was the first meeting between the neighbours since a four-day conflict at the India-Pakistan border in May left more than 70 people dead. The match took place amid boycott calls that dominated the headlines before the Group A clash.

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India won the group match by seven wickets and afterwards refused to shake hands with their opponents, angering Pakistan. The 'handshake snub' triggered an avalanche of events, with the Pakistan team considering boycotting the tournament and also throwing their match against UAE into uncertainty.

Suryakumar Yadav would not shake hands with his Pakistani counterpart, Salman Agha, after the toss took place, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) informed the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) venue manager in the previous contest. Sure enough, after the coin toss, in which Pakistan won and chose to bat, the two teams walked off with no handshake, and minimal interaction.

India secured a 7-wicket victory at the Asia Cup Group A match against Pakistan, outclassing the opponent at every point to chase down 128 with ease. Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube walked off the field without shaking hands with the opponents. In his post-match press conference, Yadav said his team acted on the advice of the Indian government and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Today’s clash followed the same tense script. Despite high anticipation that tempers might cool, there was once again no handshake at the toss. Both sides maintained their distance throughout. The cold relations off the field continued to overshadow the cricketing action, making it clear that the "no-handshake stance" has become an ongoing statement in this Asia Cup.