India captain Suryakumar Yadav dedicated his side's victory over Pakistan in the Asia Cup on Sunday (September 14) to the Indian armed forces as players from both sides refrained from engaging in the customary post-match handshakes.
India convincingly beat Pakistan in their Group A Asia Cup encounter, chasing down a target of 128 with 25 balls and seven wickets to spare. Yadav remained unbeaten on 47 off 37 balls, hitting the winning six.
Match 6, India vs Pakistan
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The match was played in the backdrop of political tensions between the two countries following the Pahalgam terror attack in April and the military conflict between the two nations in May, the effects of which were visible on the ground.
At the toss, the India and Pakistan captains - Yadav and Salman Agha - did not shake hands as captains usually do. Agha won the toss and elected to bat first, which Yadav said played out in India's favour as they would have chosen to field had they won the toss.
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Then, after smashing Sufiyan Muqeem for a six to seal the match in the 16th over, Yadav, who was accompanied by Shivam Dube at the other end, walked off the pitch without shaking hands with the Pakistan players. At the post-match press conference, he then made a statement, dedicating the victory to the Indian armed forces.
"I just wanted to say something," Yadav said. "I think this is the perfect occasion... We stand with the victims of the families of the Pahalgam terror attack and we express our solidarity and also, the most important thing for me - we want to dedicate today's win to all our armed forces who showed a lot of bravery. Hope they continue to inspire us all and we give them more reasons on the ground whenever we get an oppotunity to make them smile."
Incidentally, Agha didn't appear for the presentation ceremony at all. Pakistan coach Mike Hesson later confirmed at the post-match press conference that his side were ready to shake hands and that India's refusal was "disappointing".
He also confirmed that it was India's refusal to shake hands that prompted Agha to skip the press conference.
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