India captain Suryakumar Yadav refused to even look at his Pakistani counterpart Salman Ali Agha when the two skippers came out to the middle at the toss for the Asia Cup 2025 Super 4s contest at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. Both captains ignored each other and didn’t acknowledge any sort of presence as they spoke to broadcaster Ravi Shastri.
As expected, Suryakumar and Agha did not shake hands at the toss. Handshakes at the toss and after the end of the match are not mandatory in the official lawbook, and hence, both teams are well within their rights to do so. Both skippers also made their way to the middle at different times.
India captain Surya won the toss and elected to bowl first. The side made two changes to their playing XI as Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakaravarthy returned in place of Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana.
Suryakumar also exuded confidence, saying the match against Pakistan is just “another game for his team” and they are not sweating by any stretch of the imagination.
“Looks like a nice track, and yesterday there was dew. Since the first round, we were thinking we’re playing a knockout tournament; nothing has changed. That was a completely different wicket (in Abu Dhabi). Quite normal, just another game. Bumrah and Varun come back for Arshdeep and Harshit,” said Suryakumar.
Also Read: India vs Pakistan LIVE Score, Asia Cup 2025: IND wins the toss, choose to chase
On the other hand, Agha said that the mood within his team camp is normal, and they are looking to put their best foot forward.
“It’s a new game, a new challenge. The mood is very normal. Pitch looks to be on the slower side. Want to start well with both bat and ball. Two changes. Hasan Nawaz and Khushdil Shah are not playing,” said Agha.
What happened in the previous match?
The group stage match between India and Pakistan saw no handshakes between the players from both teams once the game was over. Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube charged back to the dressing room as soon as India wrapped up a seven-wicket win, and then the camp shut the dressing room door on their opponents when they approached them for the customary post-match exchange of greetings.
This led to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) taking offence to match referee Andy Pycroft’s conduct, alleging that the senior official from Zimbabwe failed to uphold the “spirit of cricket.”
The PCB wanted Pycroft removed from the remainder of the eight-team tournament, but the ICC refused to listen to their demands. The PCB had also threatened to pull out of the Asia Cup if the ICC didn’t remove Pycroft. However, the board did not go ahead with this despite the official from Zimbabwe not going anywhere.
Before Pakistan’s match against the UAE began, the PCB uploaded a video of Pycroft speaking to the captain, coach, and manager. The PCB then released a statement claiming Pycroft apologised for the “miscommunication” in the India versus Pakistan game.
However, the ICC shot an email to the PCB as there was a PMOA (Players and Match officials area) violation since mobile phones are not allowed inside this highly restrictive and confidential area.