"Suryakumar Yadav Shook Hands In Captains' Press Conference": Shahid Afridi On No Handshake Row

The no-handshake controversy from the Asia Cup 2025 match between India and Pakistan has put the tournament road map in jeopardy, with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) threatening to boycott their next match against UAE. The Pakistan team wants action from the International Cricket Council over the controversy, which has attracted opinions from both sides of the border. As was expected, former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi struggled to make sense of India's act, saying the decision was forced upon Suryakumar Yadav and his team from the top.

"When the Asia Cup began, social media was filled with the boycott campaigns ahead of the match between India and Pakistan. Considering there was pressure, it is no surprise that the players and the BCCI were told not to shake hands with our team," said Afridi on Pakistan's Samaa TV.

Echoing the sentiments of the PCB, which has lodged a protest with the Asian Cricket Council over India's act, Afridi also called the 'no handshake' decision by Suryakumar's team 'anti-sportsmanship'.

"In my opinion, there was no sportsman spirit. They would once again be shamed in front of the world. I think our stance was bang on. Our PCB chairman has taken the right stand. Overall, it's outstanding," said Afridi.

"I have always said that players should be great ambassadors and not an embarrassment. I don't want to fault the Indian cricketers; they were given orders from up above," he added.

India captain Suryakumar Yadav shook hands with the PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi and Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha during the pre-tournament group press conference. Afridi, hence, questioned why Surya couldn't do the same in the match against Pakistan.

"The same Suryakumar Yadav shook hands with Salman Agha and Mohsin Naqvi at the captains' press conference. Now in front of the crowd, the government was not able to handle the social media pressure. Indian players have now become an embarrassment in front of the world," Afridi concluded.

Gavaskar's Reply To Afridi And Other Critics

As Afridi asks for sports and politics to be separate from each other, Indian batting great Sunil Gavaskar feels that has never been the case. 

“Sports and politics have never been separate - you only need to look back over the years to see that. I wouldn't criticise someone for taking that stance, and I wouldn't want to get into a debate about it. When you start discussing political references, you get into policies and complexities that are frankly beyond my pay grade,” said Gavaskar on India Today.

As a mark of protest, Pakistan captain Salman Agha skipped the presentation ceremony after the match. Gavaskar mocked Salman, saying his absence didn't make any difference.

“I don't think it made much difference anyway - people mainly wanted to hear what the winning captain had to say, not excuses from the other side,” he added.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Pakistan Cricket Team Suryakumar Yadav Shahid Afridi Agha Salman Asia Cup 2025 Cricket