The IND vs PAK clash in the final of the Asia Cup 2025 witnessed an incident usually not seen, during the coin toss. While it’s generally the presenter alongside the two captains, match referee and a sponsor representative present, the toss for today’s final witnessed two different presenters – Ravi Shastri and Waqar Younis.
While Shatri spoke strictly to Suryakumar Yadav, Younis addressed Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha.
The reason for this can be presumed to be due to the political tension between the two nations, which had also trickled down to on-field emotions, starting with the handshake saga in the group-stage match.
The previous encounter in the Super Four between the teams also witnessed hostility in the form of verbal altercations and provocative gestures, which also prompted the ICC to step in and issue sanctions.
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After India denied doing the customary handshake following the group-stage fixture in solidarity with Indian soldiers, Pakistan responded by not sending their skipper for the post-match press conference, followed by a demand to remove the match referee.
With the appeal not upheld by ICC, Pakistan briefly contemplated quitting the tournament before turning up for the match against UAE one hour late.
Things spiralled when the teams next met in Super Four, which saw Suryakumar Yadav and Haris Rauf being fined 30% of their match fees while Sahibzada Farhan was let go with a warning.
Furthermore, no BCCI official has also travelled for the summit clash in Dubai, like the last two fixtures.
On the other hand, Asia Cricket Council (ACC) head and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi is expected to present the winners, given his hierarchy. If India wins the match, it remains to be seen what their stance will be during the awards ceremony.
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