Former Pakistan cricketers Basit Ali and Kamran Akmal have expressed disappointment after India’s players skipped the usual post-match handshakes following their dominant win over Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 on Sunday, September 14, in Dubai.
The controversy began when Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav avoided shaking hands with Pakistani counterpart Salman Ali Agha at the toss.
Later, after winning the game by seven wickets, Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube headed straight to the Indian dressing room and closed the door.
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Basit Ali and Kamran Akmal blast India’s conduct against Pakistan after Asia Cup 2025 clash
They left the Pakistan cricket team waiting, but the Indian players refused to meet them, sparking massive debate and controversy over the gesture.
In the post-match presentation, Suryakumar said that it was a tribute to the Indian Armed Forces, referencing the Pahalgam terror attack, which further fueled the tension.
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Meanwhile, Kamran Akmal and Basit Ali slammed India’s move on a live TV show. Basit condemned India’s refusal to shake hands with the Pakistani players, saying such behavior damages the spirit of the game and sets a dangerous example.
Basit Ali targets ICC chairman Jay Shah amid handshake controversy
The former national selector has pointed out that if such behavior happens in ICC events like the World Cup, it will be interesting to see how Jay Shah will handle the situation. Basit noted that India, with this act, has brought embarrassment upon itself in front of the whole world.
Basit Ali said on the ARY Sports show, “This is the Asia Cup, right? What will happen when it’s an ICC event, the World Cup? If handshakes don’t happen, what will the ICC head do—because he’s Indian? Yes, I’m saying Jay Shah. It makes one think: if players don’t shake hands, do they expect to become heroes? Whoever understands cricket, knows the game, or writes about it will never appreciate such conduct—whether Pakistani, English, or Australian, nobody will appreciate this.”
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Kamran Akmal alleges India was forced to skip handshakes, calls it ‘Petty’ behaviour
Meanwhile, Akmal has suggested that the Indian players were not acting on their own but were forced to avoid handshakes with the Pakistani players after the Asia Cup 2025 clash on Sunday. He pointed out how, from the toss to the end of the match, Indian players deliberately stayed away from the usual gestures of sportsmanship.
The former wicketkeeper-batter believes that such behavior not only damages the spirit of cricket but also harms the players’ reputations. He called India’s behavior “petty” and said it could create a bigger problem for the game’s image if nobody acts on the situation.
Kamran Akmal said on the same show, “Today, I’ve seen that after the toss, there was no handshake; Bumrah stood at point, took a catch, and after the match, again no handshake occurred. This isn’t helping Cricket get better. In my opinion, things will get worse—players’ reputations are being harmed by such acts. I truly consider this very petty behavior. The players were forced into it due to pressure.”
The meltdown of Porkis has started pic.twitter.com/mQuJxojYoW
— Mohit Gulati (@desimojito) September 14, 2025
Earlier, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as the PCB chief, criticized the Indian team for not shaking hands with the Pakistani players before and after the match. He stressed that it was against the spirit of fair play and sportsmanship.
