Asia Cup: Suryakumar Yadav's Alleged Snub of Pakistan Captain Sparks Controversy, Viral Video Reveals Truth

The spotlight was on Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Ali Agha as the captains of all eight teams at the Asia Cup 2025 addressed the media in a joint press conference on Tuesday, 8 September. The India skipper and his Pakistani counterpart fielded a series of tricky questions as the tournament got underway in the aftermath of heightened tensions between the two countries following Operation Sindoor - India's retaliatory response to a terror attack in April.

Although both Suryakumar and Salman maintained a composed demeanour at the press conference, speculation swirled that the two captains had avoided the customary handshake at the end. A video showing the pair walking away from each other without exchanging greetings quickly went viral. Notably, Suryakumar and Salman were not seated alongside one another - a departure from the traditional practice of positioning the India and Pakistan captains next to each other at the captains' meet.

However, it later emerged that the two did indeed greet one another at the end of the press conference in Dubai. Suryakumar was filmed shaking hands with Salman as he made his way out of the venue.

The India captain was also seen greeting Pakistan Cricket Board chief Mohsin Naqvi, who attended the event on Tuesday. Naqvi, who also serves as president of the Asian Cricket Council, posed for a group photograph with all eight captains to ceremonially launch the 17th edition of the continental tournament.

Both Suryakumar and Salman said they had not instructed their teammates to curb their aggression when asked if tempers will flare in Sunday's clash in Dubai.

A section of fans on social media questioned why Suryakumar appeared initially to have snubbed handshakes with Salman Ali Agha and Mohsin Naqvi. Others, however, argued that Suryakumar was right to greet all participants, noting that the Indian government had cleared the national team's participation in the Asia Cup despite strong domestic sentiment, including calls for a boycott in the wake of the April terror attack.

The 22 April terrorist assault in Pahalgam claimed the lives of 26 civilians, most of them tourists, after gunmen opened fire, allegedly targeting victims based on their religious identity. In retaliation, India launched Operation Sindoor on 7 May, striking nine terrorist infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The operation marked a sharp escalation, including cross-border attacks on Pakistani bases, before hostilities were scaled back under a bilateral ceasefire agreement.

India's participation in the Asia Cup – and, more importantly, their clash with Pakistan – received the green light after the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports approved Indian teams facing Pakistan in multi-nation tournaments, while maintaining the ban on bilateral series, last month.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed earlier in September that India would fulfil all its fixtures at the Asia Cup and that there was no question of boycotting any particular match following government clearance.

"As far as the BCCI's view is concerned, we have to follow whatever the central government formalises. Recently, our policy regarding India's participation in any multinational or international tournament has been clear: there are no restrictions imposed by the central government on playing against any country with which India does not enjoy good terms. Therefore, India have to play all their matches in any multinational tournament," Saikia said.

India and Pakistan are scheduled to meet in a group-stage match on Sunday, 14 September. Depending on results, the two teams could face each other as many as three times in this year's Asia Cup, which began with Afghanistan defeating Hong Kong in the tournament opener on 9 September.