India-Pakistan captains avoid handshake on Asia Cup stage, greet each other off-camera

The captains of all eight teams taking part in the Asia Cup 2025 met in Dubai on Tuesday, September 9 for the pre-tournament press conference. However, the big talking point came at the end of the event as India’s Suryakumar Yadav and Pakistan’s Salman Ali Agha did not share a handshake or hug on the stage.

Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha was seen leaving the stage straight away once the press conference was over, without waiting for customary greetings. Suryakumar Yadav, on the other hand, stayed back and shook hands and even hugged other captains, including Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan and Sri Lanka’s Charith Asalanka.

Also Read: India playing XI hints: Men in Blue prepare Hardik Pandya-like option, Jitesh likely to replace Samson

India and Pakistan captains share awkward moment

The incident was captured on the Asian Cricket Council’s (ACC) official broadcast of the captains’ press conference on their YouTube channel. However, Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Agha were seen shaking hands back stage, a video of which has gone viral.

Shameful! 💔
Suryakumar Yadav shaking hands with Salman Ali Agha – the same people who mocked India.

When your own coach Gambhir talks about patriotism, this act feels like an insult to the nation.
Cricket is not above respect for your country. 🇮🇳#AsiaCup pic.twitter.com/mya1Fj50yM

— सीतामढ़ी जिला 🇮🇳 (@SitamarhiJila) September 9, 2025

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The Indian captain also shook hands with the current ACC President Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the chief of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and in-charge of conducting the Asia Cup 2025.

Earlier, Suryakumar Yadav said India were well-prepared for the tournament. “We have got few practice sessions. Feels good. It will be a good challenge playing the best teams in Asia,” he said. SKY further added that India won’t look to experiment in the opening game despite playing against UAE.

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“When you play a format, you need to know how good your preparation is. Why mend something that isn’t broken? If something has given us results, why would we need to change that aspect separately?” he said.

“Aggression is always there when we take the field. Without aggression, I don’t think you can play the sport. I am very excited to take the field from tomorrow,” SKY said his team will continue to show aggression on the field.

India will begin their Group A campaign against the hosts UAE on Wednesday, September 10, with the much-awaited clash against arch-rivals Pakistan scheduled for Sunday, September 14.

Also Read: Asia Cup 2025: ‘Pak have good players of spin but they lack experience, will be challenging vs Kuldeep, Varun and Axar,’ ex-cricketer Ajay Mehra

In May this year, the political tensions between India and Pakistan were at an all-time high following the terrorist attack in Jammu & Kashmir’s Pahalgam and the subsequent counter-operation by the Indian military codenamed Operation Sindoor. A three-day war was fought between the two nations after India’s action.

There was significant pressure on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to boycott their Asia Cup clash against Pakistan. However, India’s apex cricket body decided to go ahead with the blockbuster match, citing the government’s policy of playing against even hostile nations in multi-nation tournaments.