Former India skipper Mohammad Azharuddin doesn’t see any logic in Suryakumar Yadav and the team’s decision not to shake the Pakistan side’s hands in the 2025 Asia Cup. He believes that once the team decided not to boycott the games — as many in the country had asked them to — they should play with all the embellishments and ‘full intensity’, including the handshakes.
Handshakes aren’t a rule but more of a custom of the sport. Although match referee Andy Pycroft is said to have conveyed a ‘no handshakes’ message at the toss, Indian players refused it after securing the seven-wicket win, too. Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha boycotted the post-match presentation ceremony, which unfurled into a massive off-field controversy that is yet to relent.
“I feel that there was nothing wrong with shaking hands,” Azharuddin told NDTV. “When you are playing the match, you might as well play with everything, like shaking hands or whatever. I don’t know what the problem was. I really cannot understand. But I don’t feel there was anything wrong with shaking hands.”
“When you’re playing in protest, you might as well not play. There’s no point playing under protest. Once you’ve agreed to play when you said you won’t play Pakistan in bilateral, be it ICC events or the Asia Cup, then you must play with full intensity. Otherwise, there’s no need to play at all,” he added.
