'You should not cross the line': Suryakumar Yadav reveals 'Pakistan players said things that cannot be shared'

Suryakumar Yadav reveals 'Pakistan players said things that cannot be shared'

India captain Suryakumar Yadav disclosed that his teammates were subjected to continuous abuse from the Pakistan players during the Asia Cup 2025. India's "no-handshake" policy against Pakistan during the tournament shook the arch-rivals, who then engaged in a number of shenanigans. India's gesture were in line with the rising tension between the neighbours caused due to the Pahalgam terror assault, which claimed the lives of 26 tourists

Pakistan in response went over and beyond during the tournament. From protesting to the ICC about match referee Andy Pycroft to calling off pre-match press conferences and Mohsin Naqvi, the head of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), running away with the trophy - were some of the major highlights. The same was true on the pitch, as players like Sahibzada Farhan, Haris Rauf, and Faheem Ashraf were found to have made offensive gestures.

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Suryakumar, has now spoken out about the controversy, saying that throughout their three victories over the bitter rivals, Indian players received a lot of abuse from Pakistan players.

“In the game, everything is up and down, but in all this, you should not cross the line,” Suryakumar told Sports Tak. “Players have told us so many things that happened in the three games, I cannot share them, but a lot happened, which players were telling the coaching staff and me. I only told them that if we focus on cricket, it is a good occasion; if we win the match, there cannot be a bigger answer than that.”

India's objective was on playing cricket with dignity, even if the opposition did not share the same ideals, the Indian T20I captain said in a different interview with Revsportz. “None of us at any point have shown any inappropriate gesture…. we wanted to play this game with dignity… follow the situation and the game, keeping emotions aside,” noted Suryakumar during the interaction.

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Suryakumar was asked in an interview with The Indian Express if India would still refuse to shake hands with Pakistan at games going forward. “I don’t know what will happen next. Dilli abhi bahut door hai. I don’t know what will happen with Pakistan in the next game. Anyway we only play in multi-nation tournaments but whatever happens at that time, we will see. For now, this is the moment which we want to enjoy it.”

The Indian team are yet to receive the Asia Cup trophy, and efforts are underway to bring it back home.