India claimed a victory over Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 and should have been remembered for the cricket alone. But, this Asia Cup is in the news for all the reasons off-field rather than on-field.
In a shocking turn of events, the Indian Team walked off the field without shaking hands with the Pakistani Team. The whole act felt planned and totally to the distaste of true cricket lovers. There was a wave of disappointment among fans and critics on Indian Cricket teams utter lack of sportsmanship.
Reports have revealed that the referee, Andy Pycroft, said to Pakistani Captain, Salman Agha that the Indian team will not shake hands after the event. This act of influencing the cricket players to not shake hands allegedly on directives from the Indian Cricket Board goes against all codes of the game. This has enraged the Pakistan Cricket Board, prompting them to lodge a formal complaint to the Asian Cricket board that if the referee is not changed there will be a Asia Cup boycott from PCB.
This seepage of politics into cricket is getting increasingly dangerous. An India vs Pakistan match has always been much more controversial than other matches but denying basic gestures of respect in the match has been a first. This act by the Indian Cricket team has threatened to kill the spirit of the game corrupting its very purpose: a healthy competition.
For these two estranged brother nations, the cricket field served as a neutral ground where they could compete fiercely yet leave animosity off the pitch. This gesture by the Indina team is a blow to the tradition and will lead to the suffering of the game.
What exarcerbated this situation is the victory speech by the Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav. He took to the opportunity to make the speech totally political by dedicating the win to the Pehalgam incident’s vicitims and not focusing on his team’s victory.
National tragedies are not to be dismissed but using a cricketing stage that is meant to be devoid of politics goes acutely against the spirit of the game. The whole speech felt opportunistic and tone-deaf, especially paired with the refusal to engage in gestures of goodwill.
Pakistan’s head coach, Mike Hesson expressed disappointment stating that “We understand the emotions, but refusing handshakes hits at the spirit of cricket. The rivalry is fierce, but respect between teams must always remain”
Pakistan’s frustration is completely justified. If the referees of a match will act as political puppets taking sides, the whole game will be nothing but a PR-hogging event. It is a poor precedent to set for future matches and there’s a danger of people competely losing interest and trust in the game that is supposed to unify the cricket lovers. The game may not be for entertainment but rather further deepen hatred between the nations.
India may have lifted the trophy, but lost all respect from true fans of the game!
