Former Pakistani speedster Shoaib Akhtar said it was disheartening to see Team India refusing to shake hands with the Pakistani side after defeating them by seven wickets in their Asia Cup 2025 tie on Sunday, September 14.

India dominated Pakistan in their tie in Dubai. Opting to bat first after winning the toss, Pakistan managed 127/9, that too thanks to 33* in 16 balls by Shaheen Afridi in death overs. Kuldeep Yadav picked three wickets for India.

In response, Abhishek Sharma gave a flying start with 31 in 13 balls, and then Suryakumar Yadav (47*) and Tilak Varma (31) enabled India to win by 7 wickets in 15.5 overs.

But everyone's attention was drawn to the scenes that followed the game. Suryakumar Yadav and company skipped the traditional handshake with Team Pakistan after winning and headed directly to the dressing room.

Players from Pakistan were seen waiting for the Indian squad to shake hands in a social media video that went viral. However, the Indian players hurried back to the locker room without engaging in any amicable conversation with their bitter adversaries.

Former Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar, speaking on a TV show, stated that it was disheartening to see Indian players refusing to shake hands with Pakistani players. He stated that Pakistan could’ve also said a lot on the handshake snub, but didn’t.

"I'm speechless. It is disheartening to see, and I don't know what to say. Hats off to India. Just don't make things political. Cricket match hai, isko political mat banao. Hum ne acchi statement di hai aapkee liye. Hum bohut kuchh bol sakte hai. Hoti rehte hain ladayi jhagre, ghar me bhi ho jaaati hain. (Don't make a cricket match political. We have said nice things about you. We can say a lot of things about the no handshake. Fights happen, even inside your house. Forget it; move on. It is the game of cricket; shake your hands, show your grace," said Akhtar.