Political tensions spilled over onto the cricket field during the Asia Cup 2025. India refuse handshake with Pakistan before and after their first game since a recent war.
This wasn’t a one-time thing. India refuse handshake after the match and didn’t accept the trophy from ACC President Mohsin Naqvi, who is also involved in running cricket in Pakistan.
What is the Background?
A deadly attack in Pahalgam on April 22 killed 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen. India quickly blamed Pakistan for what happened, but Pakistan strongly denied this. Things got worse when India bombed sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir from the air. Pakistan fired missiles back, which was the most serious military conflict between the two countries in decades and killed dozens of people.
This fight also affected sports. India and Pakistan haven’t played each other in cricket in years. They only meet in big international tournaments instead of bilateral series. People called for the Asia Cup to be canceled or boycotted, but the event went on as planned.
The India refuse handshake controversy made things worse in the middle of all the political tension. After the Asia Cup match, Pakistan’s coach said he was disappointed that Indian players didn’t shake hands. Indian batter Suryakumar Yadav defended the choice by saying, “The government and the BCCI were on the same page as us.” Our answer was that we came here just to play cricket.
If both teams make it to the later rounds, they could face off again in the Asia Cup. They had played each other before in Dubai during the Champions Trophy, but India wouldn’t go to Pakistan even though it was the official host.
Other events have also been affected by the diplomatic freeze. For instance, the Women’s World Cup was supposed to be held entirely in India, but Pakistan’s games were moved to Sri Lanka instead. As long as the relationship between the two countries stays tense and the “India refuse handshake” moment lasts, ICC tournaments between them will probably keep being held at neutral sites.
Pakistan Coach Responds: Disappointment and Calls for Responsibility
Mike Hesson, Pakistan’s head coach, said in public that he was disappointed that India refuse handshake protocol. He said that the players from Pakistan had made the gesture, but they saw that India had already gone to the dressing rooms.
He called the situation “disappointing” and stressed that his team was open to the usual gesture. Pakistan’s captain Salman Agha also skipped the presentation ceremony because he didn’t want to shake hands.
After the game, Pakistan’s cricket board filed a formal complaint, asking for the removal of match referee Andy Pycroft, whom they say interfered with decisions about india refuse handshake.