Tension at Asia Cup: Indian and Pakistani Captains Skip Handshake

Asia Cup Match Highlights

On Sunday, during the Asia Cup Group A match, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav and Pakistan's Salman Agha notably did not shake hands at the toss. Typically, it is customary for the captains of both teams to greet each other before the coin toss as a sign of sportsmanship, although there is no formal rule mandating this.

Neither captain exchanged handshakes nor made eye contact. They submitted their team sheets to match referee Andy Pycroft and spoke briefly with TV commentator Ravi Shastri before returning to their respective sides.

A source from the BCCI, speaking on the condition of anonymity, informed that 'Every tournament has its own set of rules and regulations. Some tournaments require a handshake during the toss as part of the protocol. For the record, Suryakumar Yadav also did not shake hands with UAE captain Mohammad Wasim during the toss of the last match.'

This encounter marked the first face-off between the long-standing rivals India and Pakistan since the terrorist attacks in Pahalgam in April. Last month, India announced a new sports policy prohibiting its teams and players from participating in bilateral competitions with Pakistan, although they are allowed to compete in multilateral international tournaments.

This policy has also restricted Indian players from visiting Pakistan and denied hosting teams and individual players from the neighboring country. Prior to this match, the Indian camp stated that while players are aware of the sentiments and emotions of the public, they have set those aside to focus on playing professionally.