Asia Cup 2025: Indian players avoid handshake with Pakistani players again after 6-wicket win

India maintained their winning streak against Pakistan on Sunday, September 21, in the Asia Cup 2025 by securing a six-wicket victory in their Super 4 clash in Dubai. Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill led India's successful chase of 172 runs.

However, once again, after the win on September 21, 2025, Indian players avoided shaking hands with the Pakistani players. After the victory, Team India shook hands with the umpires and match officials, but did not exchange handshakes with the Pakistan team. Batters Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya, in particular, walked straight to the dressing room, avoiding the customary gesture.

Even at the toss, India's captain Suryakumar Yadav did not shake hands with his Pakistan counterpart Salman Ali Agha, just as he had done during the first clash between India and Pakistan on September 14.

Suryakumar Yadav on India's win against Pakistan 

An elated Suryakumar Yadav said, "The way the boys are stepping up in every game is making my job really easy. I think they showed a lot of composure, character. Very calm after the first 10 overs. The way everyone reacted was commendable. Jasprit is not a robot; he will have a bad day someday. The way he comes back will be important. Very happy with how Shivam raised his hand."

He added, "Shubman and Abhishek compliment each other really well. Joy to watch them bat together. Important to bat till 10-12 overs, and they did the same thing."

Suryakumar on team India dropping catches said, "That's completely fine, our fielding coach T Dilip has already e-mailed all the boys who had butterfingers today.."

The no-handshake decision by Team India has stirred controversy in the tournament. Following the last match, where Team India didn't shake hands and went straight into the dressing room, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) lodged a complaint with the ICC against match referee Andy Pycroft, alleging he had prevented the captains from greeting each other.

Adding to the ongoing no-handshake saga, reports suggest the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has advised the players to avoid handshakes altogether, following instructions from the Indian government.

India playing XI

Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Sanju Samson(WK), Suryakumar Yadav(C), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy

Pakistan playing XI

Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Mohammad Haris(WK), Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha(C), Hussain Talat, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.