Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar backed the Indian team after their tense Asia Cup 2025 Group A game against Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium. India comfortably chased down 128 runs to win with seven wickets in hand, but the spotlight quickly shifted to what happened after the match.
Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha skipped the post-match presentation as India refused the customary handshakes, both after the match and even during the toss, creating a fresh flashpoint between the two cricket boards.
Speaking to India Today, Gavaskar explained, “Sports and politics have never been separated – 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,” he said.
After Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav finished the match with a brilliant six, he and Shivam Dube celebrated quietly with fist bumps before heading straight towards the dressing room, where the team celebrated among themselves.
On the other side, Pakistan captain Salman Agha and his team waited on the ground for the usual handshakes, but it never happened. As a mark of protest, Agha skipped the post-match presentation hosted by former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar.
Gavaskar brushed off the incident, saying, “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.”
The Pakistan Cricket Board later lodged an official complaint with the ICC and even threatened to pull out of the tournament. On that, Gavaskar said, “I didn’t actually see it myself, but ultimately it’s up to each individual what they want to do… If someone has been calling you names, asking that you go and shake hands with them is too much to expect.”
For latest sports updates: Follow RevSportz