Salman throws away cheque, accuses Suryakumar of pretense, pledges fees to Pakistan civilians hit by ‘Operation Sindoor': 'We shook hands in private'

Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha has criticised the Indian cricket team for setting a bad example as role models over their no-handshake policy and refusal to take the Asia Cup 2025 trophy from Mohsin Naqvi , as he also revealed that Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav shook hands with him multiple times during the tournament in private.

Salman Ali Agha’s Pakistan lost to India by five wickets in a tense Asia Cup 2025 final in Dubai on Sunday, their third consecutive loss against Suryakumar and Co in the tournament. Agha was visibly angry with the result as he was seen throwing away the runner-up cheque on the stage as he walked off to boos.

The Pakistan captain was also seen smirking amid the boos, underlining the political tension that has dominated the tournament.

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In the post-match press conference, Salman Agha dropped the bombshell as he claimed that Suryakumar has been consistently shaking hands with him in private but behaves differently in front of the cameras due to external pressure.

“He shook hands with me in private at the start of the tournament,” Agha said. “Both at the pre-tournament press conference and when we met in the referee’s meeting. But when they’re out in front of the cameras, they don’t shake our hands. I’m sure he’s following the instructions he’s been given, but if it was up to him, he’d shake hands with me.

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Salman Agha also accused India of setting a bad example with their ‘antics’ in the tournament and disrespecting the game.

“What India has done in this tournament is very disappointing,” he said. “They’re not disrespecting us by not shaking hands—they’re disrespecting cricket. Good teams don’t do what they did today. We went to pose with the trophy on our own because we wanted to fulfill our obligations.

“We stood there and took our medals. I don’t want to use harsh words, but they’ve been very disrespectful. This is the first time I’ve ever seen this happen. Whatever happened in this tournament was very bad, and I hope it stops at some stage because it’s bad for cricket.

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Pakistan to donate match fees to Operation Sindoor victims

“I’m not just a Pakistan captain, I’m a cricket fan. If a kid is watching in India or Pakistan, we’re not sending them a good message. People think of us as role models, but if we’re behaving like this, we’re not inspiring them. What happened shouldn’t have happened, but you should ask the people (India) responsible for this rather than me.”

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Agha also declared that the Pakistan cricket team will donate their match fees to Pakistani civilians who suffered losses during the Operation Sindoor in May.

“As a team, we are donating our match fees to our civilians who were affected during the ‘Indian attack.’”