“We had come only to play” - Suryakumar Yadav reveals the reason behind skipping post-match handshakes against Pakistan

Team India skipper Suryakumar Yadav, who finished the game against Pakistan with a six to win the game by seven wickets, has revealed the reason behind not shaking hands with the opposition players after the Asia Cup 2025 clash in Dubai on Sunday, September 14.

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Moving into the details of the incident, Suryakumar and Shivam Dube, who stitched an unbeaten 34-run stand for the fourth wicket, calmly walked off the field after winning the game without shaking hands with Pakistani players, who were waiting to shake hands. 

Interestingly, no Indian player came out of the dressing room onto the field to shake hands as well. Speaking about the same, the Indian captain has disclosed that it was a team call, and some things are beyond sportsmanship. Moreover, he dedicated the victory to the armed forces and stood with the families of the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack.

"We took a team call. We had come only to play. We had given them a reply. Some things are beyond sportsmanship. We dedicate this victory to our armed forces who took part in 'Operation Sindoor' and stand with families of the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack," said Suryakumar in the post-match presentation.

Interestingly, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha didn’t attend the post-match presentation ceremony after the handshake controversy. When asked about the same, Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson asserted that the skipper was unhappy with the opposition for not shaking hands.

"We wanted to shake hands but disappointed that the opposition didn't do that. Disappointed with the way we played, but we wanted to shake hands. Salman not coming for the post-match presentation was cause and effect after what happened," Hesson said in the post-match press conference.

Delving into the details of the game, India continued to dominate the group stage with an excellent seven-wicket win over Pakistan with 4.1 overs remaining. Kuldeep Yadav (3/18) was adjudged the player of the match.

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