After handshake snub, Pakistan captain skips post-match presentation ceremony

Pakistan captain Salman Agha did not attend the post-match presentation ceremony following his team’s seven-wicket defeat to India in the Asia Cup 2025 Group A match on Sunday, September 14, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Shaheen Shah Afridi was the only Pakistani player present at the ceremony, where he received an award for hitting the most sixes in the match.

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Salman reportedly made the decision to skip the presentation after Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav avoided the customary handshake before the match. The two captains stood beside each other during the toss, presented by Ravi Shastri, but did not shake hands. There was no handshake after the match either.

After the match, the Pakistan players emerged in a queue, but the Indian players were not seen. The match itself was steeped in controversy, with calls to boycott the game due to ongoing political tensions between the two countries—particularly in the wake of the Pahalgam attack in April.

Asia Cup, India vs Pakistan: Highlights | Scorecard

Suryakumar, meanwhile, explained the reasons behind the Indian players not shaking hands with their Pakistani counterparts, calling the win a ‘proper reply’ to Pakistan."

“Our government and BCCI, we were aligned together. The rest, we came here, we took a call. I feel we came here just to play the game. I think we gave them a proper reply,” Suryakumar said in the post-match press conference.

"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. As I said, we dedicate this win to our brave armed forces who took part in Operation Sindoor," Suryakumar added.

Hesson, who recently took over as Pakistan's coach, voiced his disappointment over the Indian team heading straight to their dressing room after the match without taking part in the customary post-match handshake.

“Well, look — we were obviously ready to shake hands at the end of the game. We were disappointed that our opponents didn’t do the same. We went over to shake hands, but they had already headed into the changing rooms,” Hesson said.

“It was a disappointing way for the match to finish — not just because of that, but also because we were disappointed with how we played. That said, we were absolutely willing to shake hands,” Hesson added.

Salman Agha’s tough Asia Cup

Salman hasn’t had the best of times in the ongoing Asia Cup, particularly with the bat. He was dismissed for a duck against Oman and failed to make an impact against India as well. In the high-profile clash, he struggled to a scratchy 3 off 12 balls before Axar Patel ended his brief and uncomfortable stay at the crease.

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Pakistan started their campaign with a commanding 93-run win over Oman but couldn’t carry that momentum into the game against India. After choosing to bat first, Pakistan managed only 127 for 9, with Sahibzada Farhan scoring 40 and Shaheen Shah Afridi chipping in with an unbeaten 33. Despite Saim Ayub’s three-wicket haul, India chased down the target comfortably with 25 balls to spare.

Following the loss, Pakistan remained second in the group standings with two points and a net run rate of +1.649. Their third and final group-stage match is set for Wednesday, September 17, against the Muhammad Waseem-led United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Dubai.

- Ends

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