Srinagar: Team India captain Suryakumar Yadav has reacted on the Indian teams decision not to shake hands with Pakistan players during their Asia Cup 2025 match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
Yadav, while addressing the post-match press conference, was asked to explain the unusual practice, which saw him and his Pakistan counterpart Salman Ali Agha not shaking hands at the coin toss, while the Indian team also did not come out of their dugout to greet the opposition after the high-octane clash.
In response, Yadav shared that the team management, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Indian government were ‘aligned’ behind the decision, stating that they just came to play the match.
“We, our government and BCCI were aligned together, and when we came here, we took a call, and I feel we just came here to play the game,” Yadav stated.
Earlier, at the post-match presentation, Yadav, who celebrated his 35th birthday on Sunday, termed India’s seven-wicket victory over Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 ‘a perfect return gift’.
“Great feeling and a perfect return gift to India. Human tendency that it keeps running in your mind when you think about it,” Yadav had said.
“You definitely want to win it, and when you win it, you have it ready. One box that I always wanted to tick – stay there and bat till the end,” he added.
He further shared that the reigning T20 World Cup champions prepared for the Pakistan clash as ‘just another game’, while also crediting their ICC Men’s Champions Trophy glory earlier this year at the same venue for setting the tone.
“For the whole team, we think it’s just another game. We prepare the same for all the oppositions. That’s what happened a few months back. The team that won the CT set the tone. I’m always a fan of spinners because they control the game in the middle.”
