A furious Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha called Team India’s non-cricketing behaviour ‘disrespectful’ to the game, alleging that the handshake snub and trophy refusal was a deliberate public act after an earlier private handshake with Suryakumar Yadav.
September 29, 2025: Still reeling from another defeat at the hands of Team India in the Asia Cup 2025 final, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha struggled to control his frustration in the post-match press conference, directly addressing the string of non-cricketing controversies that marred the tournament.
Agha’s comments came after the biggest controversy of the campaign, where the victorious Indian team refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy and medals from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chief Mohsin Naqvi—who is also the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman and a political figure. Upset with India’s demands, Naqvi reportedly took the trophy and medals to his hotel room, leaving the champions to celebrate without the silverware.
When asked by a reporter about India’s overall conduct, which started with captain Suryakumar Yadav’s refusal to shake hands on September 14, a visibly frustrated Salman Ali Agha labelled the behaviour as “disrespectful” to the game itself.
“Sir, what has happened in this tournament is very disappointing,” Agha told the media. “If you look at cricket, they are thinking that if they do not shake hands with us, they are disrespecting us. No, sir, they are disrespecting cricket. What they did today, a good team will never behave this way.”
The Pakistani skipper asserted that his team maintained high sporting integrity, despite the tension. “A good team will behave just like we did. We were waiting there to receive our medals. We got our pictures taken separately with the trophy before the start of the game,” he added, referring to a photo session that India’s captain reportedly skipped.
Minimising his choice of words, Agha doubled down on his criticism: “Whatever they are doing with the game, I don’t want to use very harsh words. This is very disrespectful; they are being disrespectful to the game.”
‘He Shook Hands in Private’
In a major claim, Agha asserted that the ‘handshake snub’ was purely an act for the cameras, stating that India captain Suryakumar Yadav had no personal issue with him.
“He shook hands with me in private at the start of the tournament,” Agha asserted. “Both at the pre-tournament press conference and when we met in the referee’s meeting. But when they’re out in the world 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 were up to him, he’d shake hands with me.”
The Indian team, led by Suryakumar Yadav, continued their celebrations on the podium despite the absence of the trophy, with the captain mimicking the customary trophy-lifting celebration. The BCCI later slammed the ACC chief’s action of taking the trophy away. Sources What are the specific rules in the ICC Code of Conduct that Arshdeep Singh allegedly violated?What was the nature of the ‘disinformation and propaganda campaigns’ India referred to?What is the history of political tensions influencing India-Pakistan cricket matches.