India refused to shake hands with Pakistan following the conclusion of the Asia Cup 2025 match in Dubai on Sunday (September 15), an act that has led to reactions and controversy. Here's all we know about the developments surrounding the "handshake-gate".
What led to the controversy?
The match was played against the backdrop of volatile bilateral relations between the two countries – tensions that had flared into an armed conflict in May following a terrorist attack which killed 26 civilians in Pahalgam, Kashmir.
After India comfortably chased down Pakistan's 128-run target, captain Suryakumar Yadav (47*), his batting partner Shivam Dube (10*), and the rest of the Indian team members did not shake hands with the opposition. This followed the toss, where Yadav also did not shake hands with Pakistan's captain, Salman Ali Agha. According to a Cricbuzz report, match referee Andy Pycroft had requested Agha to avoid a handshake at the toss.
During the post-match presentation ceremony, Yadav dedicated India's dominant seven-wicket win to the victims of the Pahalgam terrorist attack and to the country's 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."
How did Pakistan react?
In response, Pakistan did not send their captain to the post-match presentation or press conference. Instead, head coach Mike Hesson attended and expressed his disappointment, confirming it was India's refusal that prompted Agha to skip the press conference.
"We were ready to shake hands at the end of the game," Hesson said.
"We are disappointed that our opposition did not do that. We went over there to shake hands but they had already gone into the changing room. It was a disappointing way for the match to finish and in a match where we were disappointed with the way we played. Certainly, we were willing to go and shake hands."
Yadav stood firm on India's stance and doubled down, saying, "Few things in life are ahead of sportsman spirit."
He said: "Our government and BCCI, we were aligned together. The rest, we came here, we took a call. I feel we came here just to play the game. I think we gave them a proper reply.
"Few things in life are ahead of sportsman spirit. We stand with all the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and we stand with their families. As I said, we dedicate this win to our brave armed forces who took part in Operation Sindoor," said the India captain."
On Monday morning, it was widely reported that Pakistan had lodged a strong protest, calling India's actions "unsporting". PCB chair Mohsin Naqvi posted on X, stating they had lodged an official complaint to the ICC, seeking the removal of match referee Andy Pycroft from the Asia Cup.
"The PCB has lodged a complaint with the ICC regarding violations by the Match Referee of the ICC Code of Conduct and the MCC Laws pertaining to the Spirit of Cricket. The PCB has demanded an immediate removal of the Match Referee from the Asia Cup," Naqvi shared on X.
Now this is getting uglier. The @TheRealPCB chair Mohsin Naqvi has written to @icc for removal of Match Referee Andy Pycroft pic.twitter.com/Xl3Ngo5Pa5
— Kushan Sarkar (@kushansarkar) September 15, 2025
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