Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha recalled the first instance of handshake during Asia Cup 2025 and said his team even went to the Indian team’s locker room after the match for the formality. In last year’s Asia Cup, India and Pakistan faced each other three times during which the no-handshake policy began between the two sides.
Suryakumar Yadav and his camp adopted the approach in line with national sentiment after Pahalgam attacks. Speaking on a podcast, Agha said the information that a handshake did not take place was only communicated to him just before the draw took place.
“I went to the draw. Before that, there was a press conference. There was a handshake, there was a trophy presentation, there was a handshake,” Agha recalled in a video shared on social media. “When I was going to do the draw, it was pretty normal. Obviously, I had the idea that it wouldn’t be so normal, but I didn’t know there wouldn’t be a handshake. I didn’t have that idea.”
“I went to the draw with our media director, Naeem Bhai,” Agha explained. “The referee of the match, I don’t remember his name, took me aside and said, ‘Let’s do it like this. There won’t be a handshake.’
WE WENT TO THEIR ROOM, THEY DIDN’T SHAKE US HANDS YET
Agha said he went with the team to greet the Indian team after the match but found that the door was still closed for them.
“After that, the game was over. We lost the game. We were going to their pavilion (locker room) to shake hands. They still didn’t do it,” Agha said.
The Pakistan captain said he is not a fan of the no-handshake policy and felt it sends the wrong message to promising talent.
“And I’ve said it many times: I don’t think it’s right,” Agha stressed. “Because if we represent a nation and I play for Pakistan, people look at me and kids will realize that. And if this happens in a club match the next day, it will be my fault at the end of the day. Because I’m part of it too. So when you’re a role model, then I don’t think it’s a good thing.”
Since then, the no-handshake policy between India and Pakistan has continued in the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup, Rising Stars Asia Cup and Under-19 Asia Cup. The U19 World Cup match between the two followed the same pattern.
Even during the India vs Pakistan match in Colombo during the T20 World Cup 2026, politics continued between the India and Pakistan players.
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