• Source:JND
Add as a preferred

India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2025: Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha came up with an interesting comment at the toss for their Super Fours match against India in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025 at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.

The India vs Pakistan match is taking place amid the ongoing controversy that erupted after the conclusion of their earlier face-off in the tournament. The Pakistan cricket team has been under immense pressure over the past few days, not only because of their disappointing on-field performances but also due to the recent developments that took place after their defeat against India last week.

Soon after India won the toss and opted to bowl first, Ravi Shastri asked Pakistan skipper Salman about the potential pressure within the setup. Responding to the question, Salman said, "Would've bowled first as well. It's a new game, a new challenge. The mood is very normal. Pitch looks to be on the slower side. Want to start well with both bat and ball. Two changes. Hasan Nawaz and Khushdil Shah are not playing."

ALSO READ: India vs Pakistan Live Cricket Score, Asia Cup 2025 Updates

The comment came out as a huge surprise considering the fact that Pakistan were very close to pulling out of the tournament after Suryakumar Yadav and Co. refused the customary handshake after their win.


No handshakes between captains again

As expected, Suryakumar and Agha did not shake hands at the toss. Both skippers also made their way to the middle at different times.

The Men in Blue came out with a couple of changes in their lineup as Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakaravarthy returned in place of Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana.

ALSO READ: BCCI All Set To Pay Tribute To Zubeen Garg During Opening Ceremony In Guwahati

Suryakumar also exuded confidence, saying the match against Pakistan is just “another game for his team” and they are not sweating by any stretch of the imagination.

"Looks like a nice track, and yesterday there was dew. Since the first round, we were thinking we're playing a knockout tournament; nothing has changed. That was a completely different wicket (in Abu Dhabi). Quite normal, just another game. Bumrah and Varun come back for Arshdeep and Harshit," said Suryakumar.

Notably, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had appealed to the International Cricket Council (ICC) regarding Pycroft, demanding an apology and his removal from their matches. Pakistan stated that Pycroft had allowed the no-handshake saga to go ahead.

However, the PCB's demand was rejected by the global body, after which the Men in Green came out with a threat to boycott their final match against the United Arab Emirates (UAE). That ultimately did not happen, with Pycroft explaining his miscommunication regarding the previous incident to Pakistan captain Agha, head coach Mike Hesson and their team manager.

Since then, Pakistan have found themselves in hot water over the conversation with Pycroft. The ICC are now reportedly investigating Pakistan for going against the Code of Conduct by letting their media manager film the meeting.