Pakistan's T20 captain Salman Ali Agha narrated how the no-handshake row with Suryakumar Yadav during the Asia Cup 2025 unfolded.

In the high-stakes arena of international cricket, the rivalry between India and Pakistan often transcends the boundary ropes. However, last year's Asia Cup saw certain episodes unfold that are still fresh in the minds of fans. While Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav and his squad maintained a principled stance in line with national sentiment following the Pahalgam attacks, Pakistan's Salman Ali Agha has now provided a detailed account of how the "handshake row" unfolded from his perspective. The atmosphere surrounding the fixture was charged long before the players took the field. While the Indian camp, backed by the BCCI, had made it clear that "business as usual" was not an option, Agha described how the information regarding the lack of a handshake between the two captains was passed on to him right before the toss took place.

"I went for the toss. Before that, there was a press conference. There was a shake-hand, trophy shoot, there was a handshake," Agha recalled in a video shared on social media. "When I was going for the toss, I was pretty normal. Obviously, I had an idea that it wouldn't be that normal, but I didn't know there would be no handshake. I didn't have that idea."

"I went for the toss with our media manager, Naeem Bhai," Agha explained. "The match referee, I don't remember his name, he took me aside and said, 'We're going to do it like this. There won't be a handshake.' So, please look at that. I said, 'It's fine if there's not going to be a handshake. I am not too keen either.' So, this is what happened. He told me beforehand that there won't be a handshake."

The match ended in a comfortable victory for the Indian side. While the pre-match 'no-handshake' rule was understood by Agha, he believed a post-match handshake would still occur between the two teams. He revealed that he took the entire Pakistani team to the Indian dressing room, only to find the door shut.

Agha recalled the final moments of the encounter: "After that, the match ended. We lost the match. We were going to their pavilion (dressing room) for the handshake. They still didn't do the handshake."

The debate sparked by the incident often pits "sportsman spirit" against "national duty." For Suryakumar Yadav, the priority was clear: honouring the sacrifice of the armed forces. However, Agha expressed concern over the message this sends to the grassroots level of the sport.

"And I've said it many times, I don't think this is right," Agha stressed. "Because if we're representing a nation, and I play for Pakistan, people look at me, and the kids will pick up on that. And if this happens in a club game the next day, it will be because of me at the end of the day. Because I'm also a part of it. So, when you're a role model, then I don't think it's a good thing to do."

There has been no handshake between the members of the two teams since this episode. Pakistan and India also met in the final of the Asia Cup 2025 but no friendly gestures were exchanged.