Shoaib Akhtar Speaks Out Against India Not Shaking Hands with Pakistan in Asia Cup 2025

India had no friendly exchanges with Pakistan on the field during their Asia Cup 2025 match, not even handshakes as per traditional post-match customs, leaving Shoaib Akhtar disappointed.

By : ABP Live Sports | Updated at : 15 Sep 2025 02:33 PM (IST)

Shoaib Akhtar represented Pakistan from 1997 to 2011.
Source : X, @ICC

India, playing Pakistan for the first time since April 2025's Pahalgam terrorist attack, decided not to exchange any pleasantries with their opponents.

The captain, Suryakumar Yadav, decided against shaking hands with his counterpart, Salman Ali Agha, at the toss, and the entire team did the same even after winning the match. 

Naturally, this raised quite a few eyebrows, with Indian fans appreciating the gesture from the Men in Blue. However, former Pakistan fast bowler, Shoaib Akhtar, holds a different opinion, and is disappointed.

Akhtar disappointed with IND over no handshakes with PAK

Appearing on the panel of a Pakistani show after the IND vs PAK Asia Cup match, Shoaib Akhtar had this to say on the incident:

"It is disappointing, and I'm speechless, and obviously, you know, it is disheartening, don't know what to say. But you know, hats off to India, well done, aur bas isko political na banao, cricket match ho raha hai, cricket match ko political na karo"

Here's an English translation of the quote:

"Don’t make this political. There’s a cricket match going on, don’t politicize the cricket match."

 He continued "Hum acchi acchi baate aapke liye kar rahe hain na, humne koi political statement di aapke liye? Bada kuch keh sakte hain, but handshake karlo, game of cricket hai, show your grace"

Here's the quote translated in English:

"We are saying nice things for you, right, did we make any political statement for you? We could say a lot, but just shake hands, it’s a game of cricket, show your grace."

After the match, India's captain, and later on, Head Coach, Gautam Gambhir, both dedicated the victory over Pakistan to all the Pahalgam terror attack victims and their families, as well as the armed forces.

In response to India's handshake snub, Salman Ali Agha decided to skip the post-match presentation, which Akhtar supported.

Published at : 15 Sep 2025 02:30 PM (IST)
Tags :
Shoaib Akhtar Asia Cup IND Vs PAK Ind Pak Asia Cup 2025 India VS Pakistan India Pak No Handshakes No Handshakes Shoaib Akhtar Asia Cup

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