India defeated Pakistan by seven wickets in Dubai on Sunday, yet the talking-point was the lack of handshakes – not the cricket. No greeting at the toss, none after the final ball. It was, India captain Suryakumar Yadav confirmed, a deliberate call taken “in alignment with the BCCI and the Indian government”.
Key moments
• No pre-match or post-match handshakes.
• Pakistan captain Salman Agha skipped the customary presentation interview.
• PCB lodged a formal protest with match referee Andy Pycroft.
• First India-Pakistan meeting since April’s Pahalgam terror attack.
Suryakumar spelled it out at the press conference. “Our government and BCCI – we were aligned today,” he said. “Rest, we took a call [about not shaking hands]. We came here to just play the game. We have given a proper reply.”
Pakistan’s dressing-room was left baffled. Head coach Mike Hesson, who cut a calm yet clearly irritated figure, told reporters: “We were ready to shake hands at the end of the game, we obviously are disappointed that our opposition didn’t do that. We sort of went over there to shake hands and they’d already gone into the changing room. That was a disappointing way for the match to finish.”
Fall-out and formal protest
The ripple effect was immediate. Agha, usually first in line for broadcast duties, stayed away from the on-field interview. Hesson said that absence was a “follow-on effect” of India’s stance, an assertion later echoed by the Pakistan Cricket Board. In a late-night release the PCB described India’s refusal as “against sportsmanship” and confirmed that team manager Naveed Akram Cheema had lodged a protest: “Match referee requested the captains not to shake hands during the toss.”
Andy Pycroft, the match referee singled out in that statement, had not responded publicly at the time of writing. Off-record whispers from officials suggested he merely relayed instructions passed down from higher up, though that cut little ice with Pakistan.
Why now, why here?
India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral series since 2013. Every meeting since has come in multinational tournaments where participation is mandated by the ICC or ACC. The Pahalgam attack in April re-opened diplomatic wounds, prompting calls within India for a sporting boycott. Eventually New Delhi cleared participation in multi-team events, but hard lines were drawn around anything that might be construed as ‘normalising’ relations.
The handshake – a seemingly routine courtesy – fell into that grey area. Suryakumar was asked whether the refusal sat awkwardly with the idea of sportsmanship. His reply was measured but firm. “Few things in life are ahead of sportsman spirit also. I’ve [said] it at the presentation as well, we stand with all the victims of Pahalgam terror attacks, stand with their families, and express our solidarity.”
Hesson’s counter-view was concise. “We were certainly willing to shake hands.” Beyond that, Pakistan’s camp kept its counsel, preferring to channel displeasure through official channels.
Cricket almost forgotten
For the record, India chased 148 with five balls to spare. The pitch played true, the outfield quick, and a modest Sunday crowd was treated to an efficient pursuit led by Shubman Gill’s unbeaten 72. But statistics drifted into background noise once the post-match protocol broke down.
So where does this leave relations? In practical terms, nowhere new. The teams are unlikely to meet outside ICC or ACC competitions until broader diplomatic winds change, and both boards know it. Yet moments such as Sunday’s refusal stick in the collective memory and crop up every time the fixture returns.
A former India player, speaking off the record, suggested compromise was possible. “An elbow tap, a nod – something” was floated before the game, he claimed, but consensus could not be reached. The version from Pakistan’s side is sharper: they insist the first they heard of any restriction was at the toss itself.
Looking ahead
The Asia Cup rolls on, and so will the debate over where politics ends and cricket begins. For now Suryakumar’s team bank the points and move on, while Pakistan await Pycroft’s written reply. A handshake might have signalled closure; instead, it is another entry on a growing list of grievances.
Short memories are rare in India-Pakistan cricket. Sunday ensured they will remain rarer still.
