The arch-rivals are set to lock horns again on September 21.
India vs Pakistan is one of the fiercest rivalries in cricket. The two sides lock horns only in multi-team tournaments, after political tensions put a full stop to the bilateral series. Having said that, the hype for any IND vs PAK match is always over the roof. However, a few weeks before the Asia Cup 2025 clash, there were doubts about whether the Men in Blue would participate. The rising pressure eventually led to the Handshake saga.
India clinched a comfortable victory against their neighbours in the group stage. They skittled Pakistan out for a mere 127, after Shaheen Shah Afridi’s exploits with the bat. But the Dubai fixture will be long remembered for players not shaking hands with each other after the match.
Surprisingly enough, the drama wasn’t limited to just that fixture. Almost a week after the blockbuster game between the arch-rivals, the tensions cease to de-escalate. Each day brings a new challenge to the cricketing bodies involved, and comments from various panels and pundits.
Here is a timeline of the events of the Handshake saga, which has snowballed after originating from the events at the toss in the India vs Pakistan group stage fixture on September 14.
The drama started unfolding at toss time when India’s Suryakumar Yadav refused to shake hands with Pakistan’s Salman Agha. Though it is not a rule, captains generally shake hands as an acknowledgement after the toss.
To add to that, the Indian team did not come out for the post-match handshakes either. After Suryakumar scored the winning runs in style, the Indian skipper and Shivam Dube immediately walked towards the pavilion. The Indian players went inside the dressing room and closed the doors, making their intentions clear. The Shaheens were left feeling ashamed on the field, seeing the actions of their opponents.
After what transpired, Agha did not turn up for the post-match presentation in protest. Moreover, head coach Mike Hesson gave a statement accusing the Men in Blue of unsporting behaviour after the game.
The Men in Green were agitated, and they made it evident. On September 15, their manager, Naveed Cheema, lodged a formal complaint with the ICC. The complaint was against match referee Andy Pycroft, who communicated the decision from the Indians to the Pakistan skipper.
As per reports, the Indians made it clear to Pycroft before the toss that they would not be shaking hands with the Pakistan players. Then, Pycroft made Agha aware of the intentions of the Indian team. And this is where the Men in Green were riled up. The complaint from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to the ICC stated that Pycroft was biased towards the Indians and fell to their demands.
The Pakistan officials demanded that Pycroft be removed from the tournament because of his actions favouring India. The Shaheens quoted the match referee’s actions against the ‘Spirit of Cricket’.
As per the ICC, changing a match referee based on a particular team’s request would be a dangerous thing to do. And hence, it was clear that Pycroft would be the match referee for Pakistan’s next fixture against the hosts.
Going a step ahead, Pakistan threatened to boycott their game against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) if no action was taken against Pycroft. In the lead-up to that action, they also cancelled their pre-match press conference. Instead, they sent another letter to the ICC, re-stating their demands.
On the day of their fixture against the hosts UAE, the Pakistan team delayed their departure from the hotel. As a result, the match was delayed by an hour. Some communication between the PCB and ICC was being linked via back channels.
As per a few reports, the Men in Green would have had to pay a hefty sum of USD 16 million had they boycotted the fixture. Pakistan won the game against the UAE, but some action was yet to follow. The same evening after the match, the PCB released a muted video of a conversation between Pycroft and some of the PCB officials, stating that the match referee had apologised for his actions.
Later in the day, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, along with Ramiz Raja and Najam Sethi, interacted with the media. They further escalated the matter, attacking Pycroft and voicing their opinions of the match referee’s bias against Pakistan.
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In the latest development, ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta has emailed the PCB regarding the prohibited use of mobile phones and other devices in the Players and Match Officials Area (PMOA). The video, which the PCB released showing the communication between Pycroft and their officials, was reportedly shot in the PMOA.
As per the rules and regulations, conversations in that area of the stadium cannot be made public, with or without the audio. The PCB is yet to respond to the matter.
India and Pakistan, both qualified for the Super Four after finishing in the top two spots in the league stage points table. Thus, the two rivals are set to meet at least one more time in the Super Four, barring the possibility of meeting again in the summit clash. Before the intense game set to unfold on September 21, the Pakistan team did not attend the press conference. From the Indian side, captain Suryakumar faced the media.
No reason for the cancellation has been reported so far. However, the team was reportedly training as usual.
The two teams faced each other once again in the second match of the Super 4s of the Asia Cup 2025. However, the same template followed in the game.
India skipper Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and opted to field first. But there was no handshake between the two captains at the toss. But this time, there was no fuss about it, as their counterparts were also expecting the same.
To add to that, the Men in Blue chased the target of 172 wonderfully, to win by six wickets. The Blues celebrated in their own camp, and did not shake hands with any of the Pakistani players. This seems to be the template the Indians will follow whenever they would be facing off against Pakistan.
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