On Sunday, India captain Suryakumar Yadav announced his team’s decision not to shake hands with Pakistan players during their ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
At the post-match press conference, Yadav was asked to explain the unusual practice of him and his Pakistan counterpart Salman Ali Agha not shaking hands at the coin toss and the Indian team not coming out of their dugout to greet the opposition after the high-octane match. Yadav said that the team management, BCCI, and Indian government were ‘aligned’ behind the decision, saying they merely came to play the match.
“We, our government and BCCI were aligned, and when we came here, we took a call, and I feel we just came here to play the game,” Yadav said.
Yadav, who turned 35 on Sunday, called India’s seven-wicket Asia Cup 2025 win over Pakistan ‘a fantastic return gift’ at the post-match presentation.
“Great feeling and perfect India return gift. Human instinct to retain things in mind when you think about it, Yadav said.
You want to win and are ready when you do. I always wanted to stay and bat until the end, he said.
He added that the defending T20 World Cup champions treated the Pakistan match as ‘just another game’ and took inspiration from their ICC Men’s Champions Trophy win at the same stadium earlier this year.
“Our team views it as another game. All oppositions receive the same preparation. That happened months ago. The CT champions set the tone. I love spinners because they dominate the game in the middle.”
