‘Some Things Are Beyond Sportsmanship’: Suryakumar Yadav on ‘No Handshake’ With Pakistan
Indian T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav has defended his team’s decision to skip the customary post-match handshake with Pakistani players following their dominant Asia Cup victory in Dubai on Sunday . Dedicating the seven-wicket win to the Indian armed forces, Yadav stated that “some things are beyond sportsmanship,” a clear reference to the heightened geopolitical tensions between the two nations .
The highly anticipated match, which went ahead despite calls for a boycott, concluded on a tense note as Indian players walked off the field without the traditional exchange of pleasantries, a move reportedly backed by team management and the BCCI . The decision was made against the backdrop of the deadly Pahalgam terror attack in April and India’s subsequent “Operation Sindoor” targeting terrorist bases across the border .
“We took a team call. We had come only to play. We had given them a reply,” Suryakumar said at the post-match press conference . “We dedicate this victory to our armed forces who took part in ‘Operation Sindoor’ and stand with families of the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack” . He further added, “We are aligned with our government and the BCCI” .
On the field, India put on a commanding performance in front of a near-capacity crowd, the majority of whom were Indian supporters . After Indian spinners, led by Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav, restricted Pakistan to a meager 127/9, Suryakumar anchored the chase to seal the victory with a six . Following the winning shot, he and batting partner Shivam Dube walked directly to the dressing room, bypassing the Pakistani team who were lined up for the handshake .
The “no handshake” stance was visible even before the match began, with Suryakumar and his Pakistani counterpart Salman Ali Agha not shaking hands at the toss . The on-field decision after the match served as a powerful symbolic statement, making it clear that for the Indian team, the game was played under the shadow of recent events that transcend sporting conventions
