“Don't know what will happen,” Suryakumar Yadav responds when asked if Team India will shake hands with Pakistan players in future

Indian players refrained from shaking hands with their Pakistan counterparts during the recent Asia Cup.

Suryakumar Yadav delivered a brutal verdict during the recently held Asia Cup 2025 as he claimed that India versus Pakistan contest should no longer be considered a rivalry, considering the lop-sided affair in favour of the Men in Blue in recent years.

India outplayed Pakistan in all three meetings of the continental event, including the final. While the title clash went into the last over, the Men in Blue won the group-stage and Super 4 fixtures rather convincingly by seven wickets and six wickets respectively.

In a recent interview, Suryakumar made it clear that he doesn’t regret his earlier remarks while comparing the skillset of the two groups of players.

"No, if it is a final, it will be close; the final is an occasion. People say it is just another game, but a final is a final. You know that it is a knockout game, you have worked so hard. There is pressure, but it never came to my mind at all that I had said something wrong. I see my team, when I see them practising, when I see them playing in the match, then I know what their skill level is, and how they can play in any situation. So, seeing that, I made that statement," Suryakumar told The Indian Express.

The major talking point from all three clashes was India’s decision to avoid shaking hands with the Pakistani players, who also engaged in provocative gestures.

After the final, the victorious Indian team refused to collect the trophy and medal from the ACC and PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi, who posted anti-India sentiments on social media throughout the tournament.

When asked if he has set a trend of no handshake with the Pakistan team, Suryakumar replied, "I don't know what will happen next. Dilli abhi bahut door hai (Delhi is still very far). I don't know what will happen with Pakistan in the next game. Anyway, we only play in multi-nation tournaments, but whatever happens at that time, we will see. For now, this is the moment which we want to enjoy."

India and Pakistan are set to square off next Sunday (October 5) in the ongoing ICC Women’s World Cup 2025. It remains to be seen if Harmanpreet Kaur and her troops engage in customary handshake with the Women in Green or not.

India and Pakistan only compete in ICC and ACC events due to political tensions between the two countries and the last bilateral series between the two teams happened in 2012-13.