"Without aggression, you can't"- Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Ali Agha exchange fiery words in Asia Cup 2025 press meet

Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Ali Agha will lead India and Pakistan in Asia Cup 2025.

India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav and Pakistan T20I captain Salman Ali Agha were seen engaging in some fiery words when all eight captains of participating teams gathered for a pre-tournament press conference in Dubai on September 9, 2025.

The Asia Cup 2025 will get underway on September 9, 2025, with Hong Kong taking on Afghanistan in a Group B match in Abu Dhabi. India will open their tournament against the UAE on September 10 in the UAE. India, who are placed in Group A, will then face Pakistan in Dubai on September 14 and Oman on September 19 in Abu Dhabi.

The competition will start with India as the favourite, and they will be keen to defend the Asia Cup title they won in 2023.

Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Agha ask their players to unleash aggression on the field when India and Pakistan clash

In addition to India, Pakistan will have a chance to win the competition. After the crushing victory, the team, which just won the UAE Tri-nation tournament, will be feeling quite confident.

When questioned about reining in his aggression during the Asia Cup encounter against Pakistan, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav gave a thought-provoking response.

“Aggression is always there when we take the field. Without aggression, you can’t play cricket. I am really excited to play cricket starting tomorrow,” Suryakumar said during the tournament-eve captains’ press conference.

Salman Ali Agha, the captain of Pakistan, responded to the same issue by stating that he wants his players’ instincts to be free.

“You don’t need to say anything to any player. Everyone is individually very different. If somebody wants to be aggressive in the field, they are more than welcome to do that. When it comes to fast bowlers, they are always aggressive, and you can’t stop them. That’s what keeps them going. From my side, there’s no instruction to anyone—as long as it stays on the field,” Agha said.

Since Rohit Sharma left the format following India’s ICC T20 World Cup 2024 victory, Suryakumar Yadav, the team’s full-time T20I captain, has enjoyed a stellar record.

Under Surya’s guidance, India will compete in a global tournament for the first time in the Asia Cup.

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