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Salman Ali Agha reopens handshake row & reveals what match referee said about India’s snub in Asia Cup 2025 originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha revisits the handshake snub by India at Asia Cup 2025.
- India skipper Suryakumar declined handshakes as a mark of solidarity after Pahalgam attack.
- Agha urged players to set better examples than India.
'Wasn't desperate': Agha breaks silence on Asia Cup handshake snub by India
Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha has pulled the Asia Cup 2025 handshake episode with India skipper Suryakumar Yadav back into public conversation, months after the tournament concluded.
The incident has its roots in the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 people were killed. It was a tragedy that cast a long shadow over the tournament and the broader relationship between the two nations at the time, with India launching Operation Sindoor beyond its borders.
India's T20I captain Suryakumar chose to refuse the traditional pre-match handshake with his Pakistani counterpart at the toss as a show of solidarity with the victims and their families.
The decision did not end there. Throughout all three encounters between the sides, including the final, which India won, Indian players consistently avoided post-match handshakes as well. The Indians did not even accept the trophy from Mohshin Naqvi.
What did Salman Agha say about the handshake incident and the match referee's warning?
Speaking on an ARY podcast, Agha said the episode caught him off guard. He explained that handshakes had taken place without any issue at the pre-tournament press conference and again at the trophy photoshoot.
"Before the tournament, a press conference was held, during which a handshake took place. During the trophy photoshoot, we shook hands as well. So, when I went for the toss, I was completely normal. Of course, I had an idea that things wouldn't be as normal, but I didn't think it would escalate to the point where there would be no handshake. I didn't expect that," Agha said.
Agha then revealed that the match referee pulled him aside just before the toss and told him directly that there would be no handshake.
"I went for the toss with my media manager, Naim Bhai. The match referee - I don't recall his name - took me aside and told me, 'They are going to do this; there won't be a handshake, so please keep that in mind'. I replied, 'If there's no handshake, then so be it'. It's not like I was desperate to shake hands," he revealed.
What struck him more, he said, was what came after the match. When Pakistan walked toward the Indian dressing room area after the match, the handshakes still did not happen. That, by his telling, lingered more than the toss moment itself.
"So that's how it happened; he told me beforehand that there would be no handshake. After the match ended, we lost, and we were walking toward their pavilion for the handshake, they still didn't shake hands."
Agha argued that players, whether they like it or not, are watched closely by children who absorb what they see and replicate it. And then urged players to maintain the decorum of the sport.
"I've said this many times I don't think this is the right thing to do. When we represent a nation, and I play for Pakistan, people watch me. Children will pick up on this, and if it happens in a club game the next day, it will be because of me in some way, as I'm a part of it. When you are a role model, I believe doing these things is important," he concluded.
The Cricket News Opinion: Both sides have a point, and that is the problem
India's decision to decline handshakes was rooted in genuine grief and solidarity following a horrific attack on civilians. To expect players to go through routine sporting courtesies days after 26 people were killed, many of them tourists, would have felt hollow to many inside that dressing room.
At the same time, Agha's point about role models is not wrong. Sport has always served as a space where, at its best, basic human decency can be demonstrated. A handshake after a hard contest is one of those small gestures that means more than it looks. When that is taken away, it sends a message far beyond the boundary ropes.
What is certain is that both nations' players are caught in something much larger than a cricket match, and Agha's willingness to speak openly about it at least keeps the conversation honest.
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