‘Even when relations were worse…,’ Salman Agha breaks silence on ‘handshake saga’ ahead of Asia Cup Final
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Even when relations were worse…,’ Salman Agha breaks silence on ‘handshake saga’ ahead of Asia Cup Final")
Salman Agha breaks silence on ‘handshake saga’ ahead of Asia Cup Final Photograph: (AFP)
In the pre-game presser in Dubai, the venue for the first-ever India vs Pakistan Asia Cup final, Agha recalls not witnessing such a thing (no handshakes) happen on the cricket field, even when relations between India and Pakistan were at their worst.
Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha never saw two cricket teams not shaking hands after a game during his nearly two-decade professional career. Ahead of the marquee Asia Cup final against their arch-rivals India on Sunday (Sep 28) in Dubai, Agha broke his silence on the ‘handshake saga’ that made headlines earlier in the Asia Cup 2025. Considering sour geo-political relations between the two arch-rivals, Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian Team decided against shaking hands with Pakistani players after the side’s first face-off since the Pahalgam terror attack, irking the Men in Green.
In the pre-game presser in Dubai, the venue for the first-ever India vs Pakistan Asia Cup final, Agha recalls not witnessing such a thing (no handshakes) happen on the cricket field, even when relations between India and Pakistan were at their worst. Addressing this issue, he said that no handshakes are not good for cricket.
“As far as handshakes are concerned, I’ve been playing professional cricket since 2007 at the under-16 level. I’ve never seen two teams not shaking hands during a match. Even my father is a big cricket fan, and I’ve heard stories about the game from him. He never mentioned that two teams playing cricket didn’t shake hands.
"India and Pakistan have faced each other before, even when relations between the countries were worse, and handshakes always happened. According to me, no handshakes are not good for cricket,” he said.
Not only during the group game, which India won by seven wickets, but also after the India-Pakistan Super Four match, the Indian Team walked off the field without shaking hands with their counterparts. Although the handshake saga will continue to hog all the limelight, Agha remains adamant that his team’s focus is just on cricket.
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“We don’t focus on what we can’t control. Media talk, outside noise—we ignore it. Our goal is the Asia Cup. We came here to play good cricket, and tomorrow we’ll aim to win the final,” he added.
Speaking on his team’s chances against India, against whom they haven’t won a single game in this tournament yet, Agha expressed confidence in his team’s chances.
“Inshallah, you’ll see us winning. If we play our best cricket and execute for 40 overs, we can beat any team,” he said.
