In yet another surprising twist ahead of the Asia Cup 2025 final, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav did not turn up for the customary trophy photo session with Pakistan skipper Salman Agha. The tradition, which usually features both captains posing with the tournament trophy on the eve of the final, was skipped by the Indian skipper, leaving Agha to pose alone.
The rivalry between the two teams has intensified during the tournament, though India has clearly dominated in terms of performance, with most of the attention on off-field antics rather than the quality of play. Tensions between the two sides escalated after India’s refusal to perform a traditional handshake with Pakistan players to show solidarity with the Pahalgam terror attack victims.
Earlier, the controversy deepened when the Pakistan Cricket Board accused match referee Andy Pycroft of blocking the customary handshake between Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Agha during the group stage. The PCB even went as far as threatening to withdraw from the tournament if Pycroft was not replaced. However, the ICC rejected their demand, standing firmly by the match referee.
Adding fuel to the fire, ahead of the final Salman Agha finally shared his perspective on the matter, saying he had “not seen anything like that” but conceded that the developments were “not good for cricket.”
With Suryakumar now snubbing the symbolic trophy photo, the off-field drama has taken another sharp turn just hours before the high-voltage final.
