Asia Cup 2025: "They're disrespecting cricket…"- Salman Agha delivers bold statement on acts of Indian players towards Pakistan during tournament

Salman Agha said that India disrespected cricket by not shaking hands with Pakistan players.

Pakistan skipper Salman Agha has accused India of disrespecting cricket during Asia Cup 2025, saying that the Indian players’ actions were disappointing during the tournament. His comments came after the Indian Cricket Team crushed Pakistan Cricket Team by five wickets in the final on Sunday, September 28,

The India vs Pakistan clashes during the tournament witnessed multiple controversies. To begin with, the Indian players refused to shake hands with their Pakistan counterparts in all three games between them. After the victory in the final, the Men in Blue also refused to take the trophy from the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Mohsin Naqvi, who also happens to be the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman and a minister in Pakistan government.

As a result, Naqvi took the trophy away with him and left many shocked. There was also a delay of around one hour for presentation as Pakistan players didn’t come in time. All these things combined and became the big talking point, but Suryakumar Yadav & Co. were unfazed by it and were seen celebrating their victory on the podium without the trophy.

India have been very disrespectful: Salman Agha

During the post-match press conference, the Pakistan skipper Salman Agha was asked about all the incidents, replying to which, he said that India’s actions were very disrespectful.

“What India have done this tournament is very disappointing. They’re not disrespecting us by not shaking hands, they’re disrespecting cricket. Good teams don’t do what they did today [refusing to accept the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi]. We went to pose with the trophy on our own because we wanted to fulfil our obligations. We stood there and took our medals. I don’t want to use harsh words but they’ve been very disrespectful,” he said.

Agha also mentioned that Suryakumar shook hands with him in private but refused to do so in front of the cameras.

“He shook hands with me in private at the start of the tournament. Both at the pre-tournament press conference and when we met in the referee’s meeting. But when they’re out in the world in front of the cameras, they don’t shake our hands. I’m sure he’s following the instructions he’s been given, but if it was up to him, he’d shake hands with me,” he said.

Agha also feels that such actions do not send a good message to fans watching cricket in India or Pakistan.

“I’m not just a Pakistan captain, I’m a cricket fan. If a kid is watching in India or Pakistan, we’re not sending them a good message. People think of us as role models, but if we’re behaving like this, we’re not inspiring them. What happened shouldn’t have happened, but you should ask the people [India] responsible for this rather than me,” he further said.

Meanwhile, Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav said that they deserved to get the trophy as it was a hard-earned one. The Men in Blue were undefeated in the tournament, winning seven matches in a row. They clashed with Pakistan on three occasions during the campaign and crushed them on every occasion.

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