A fiery controversy erupted following the Asia Cup final, where Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha publicly accused the Indian team and skipper Suryakumar Yadav of showing blatant disrespect for the spirit of cricket. The dramatic claims came after India secured a five-wicket victory.
Agha recounted his interactions with Yadav, stating, “He shook hands with me in private at the start of the tournament — both at the pre-tournament press conference and during the referee’s meeting.” However, the Pakistani captain noted a stark change when the media spotlight was on. “But when the cameras are on, they don’t shake our hands. I’m sure he’s following instructions, but if it were up to him, he’d shake hands with me.”
The criticism intensified as Agha expressed deep disappointment over India’s behavior, particularly during the trophy presentation ceremony. He didn’t mince words, declaring, “What India has done in this tournament is very disappointing. They’re not disrespecting us by not shaking hands — they’re disrespecting cricket.”
Agha urged for a more sportsmanlike approach, adding, “Good teams don’t do what they did today. I don’t want to use harsh words, but they’ve been very disrespectful. Whatever happened in this tournament was very bad, and I hope it stops because it’s bad for cricket.”
Further fueling the post-match narrative, the Pakistan captain made a striking announcement. He declared that the entire Pakistan cricket team would be donating their match fees to “Pakistani civilians who were killed” during ‘Operation Sindoor’ in May. Agha affirmed, “As a team, we are donating our match fees to our civilians who were affected during the Indian attack.”