Asia Cup 2025 Handshake Incident Sparks Online Debate

Following the Asia Cup 2025 captains’ conference, a handshake involving Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav has drawn considerable criticism online. The controversy stems from Yadav’s interaction with Mohsin Naqvi, who presides over the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and also chairs the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

The handshake took place on Tuesday, immediately following the Asia Cup 2025 captains’ conference, and swiftly ignited strong reactions across various social media platforms and within the Indian media landscape.

A video that surfaced yesterday shows Pakistan’s captain, Salman Ali Agha, exchanging greetings and a handshake with Suryakumar during the event held prior to the tournament.

This interaction led to immediate criticism of the Indian captain by numerous social media users. Remarks included sentiments such as, “Shaking hands is disrespectful” and “They have harmed our people, and he is shaking hands with them.”

Indian news sources have given prominence to the situation, underlining the extensive online criticism.

Adding complexity to the issue, some users have highlighted that Mohsin Naqvi, in his capacity as Pakistan’s Interior Minister, has previously made contentious statements concerning India, thereby amplifying the criticism.

During the pre-tournament press engagements, both Salman and Suryakumar communicated that they would not be advising their respective teams to diminish their aggressive approach in matches between the two rival nations.

Notably, the Indian team will commence their Asia Cup 2025 journey against the UAE on Wednesday at the Dubai International Stadium. A highly anticipated match against Pakistan is scheduled at the same venue on September 14.