{"id":20825,"date":"2025-09-27T12:00:15","date_gmt":"2025-09-27T12:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=20825"},"modified":"2025-09-27T12:00:15","modified_gmt":"2025-09-27T12:00:15","slug":"breach-of-spirit-tharoor-slams-indias-handshake-snub-to-pakistan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=20825","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Breach of Spirit\u2019 – Tharoor slams India\u2019s handshake snub to Pakistan"},"content":{"rendered":"
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has criticised the Indian cricket team for refusing to shake hands with Pakistani players during recent Asia Cup matches, calling it a breach of cricket\u2019s spirit.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce the decision was made so strongly by Pakistan, we should have played in the spirit of the game and we should have shaken hands, done the normal things that were required,\u201d Tharoor told Asian News International.<\/p>\n

He recalled the 1999 World Cup in Manchester, played at the height of the Kargil conflict. \u201cOn the very day when soldiers were dying for our country, we were playing the World Cup in England. What we were doing, frankly, was shaking hands, because the spirit of the game is a different spirit from what was on between countries, between armies and so on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read: India, Pakistan set for first Asia Cup final encounter<\/p>\n

Tharoor added that while Pakistan later retaliated by refusing handshakes, India should not have set the precedent. \u201cIf the Pakistani team, having been insulted the first time, decides to insult us back the second time, it shows the spirit of the game is lacking on both sides. But certainly, we may not have initiated it. Once we have decided to play, we should have played normally.\u201d<\/p>\n

How the row began<\/p>\n

The controversy started on September 14 in Dubai when India defeated Pakistan by seven wickets in the Asia Cup group stage. After the match, India\u2019s players walked straight off without the customary handshake, leaving Pakistan\u2019s Salman Agha and his team waiting on the field.<\/p>\n

Coach Mike Hesson expressed disappointment, saying his side was ready to shake hands but \u201cour opposition did not do that\u2026 That was a disappointing way for the match to finish.\u201d Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi condemned the action as \u201cutterly disappointing\u201d and \u201cagainst the spirit of sportsmanship\u201d.<\/p>\n

A day earlier, at the captains\u2019 press conference, Suryakumar Yadav and Agha had emphasised \u201crespect and intensity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both shook hands at the end, and Yadav shook hands with Naqvi, though Indian media criticism foreshadowed the silence on the field.<\/p>\n

Captain Suryakumar Yadav handshake with Pakistan’s interior minister Mohsin Naqvi who recently given India a threat after Operation Sindoor.<\/p>\n

I don’t know how these people see their faces in mirror. They kill our innocent people & here we are handshaking with them. Shameful!! pic.twitter.com\/QXZCHpMmcb
\n\u2014 Rajiv (@Rajiv1841) September 9, 2025<\/p>\n

Tensions escalated in the Super Four match on September 21, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav again refused a handshake at the toss. The Pakistan Cricket Board protested to the International Cricket Council (ICC), claiming referee Andy Pycroft had advised Agha not to approach Yadav.<\/p>\n

Pycroft said he had received instructions just minutes earlier from the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) raised the issue. The ACC had advised avoiding handshakes due to political sensitivities. ICC confirmed Pycroft did not formally apologise. The row delayed Pakistan\u2019s next game against the UAE amid debate over Pycroft\u2019s role.\u00a0<\/p>\n

International Cricket Council (ICC) rejected calls for his removal.\u00a0ICC later fined Yadav and Pakistan\u2019s Haris Rauf 30% of match fees\u2014Yadav for military-related comments, Rauf for a \u201c6-0\u201d hand gesture.<\/p>\n

Haris Rauf never disappoints, specially with 6-0. pic.twitter.com\/vsfKKt1SPZ
\n\u2014 Ihtisham Ul Haq (@iihtishamm) September 21, 2025<\/p>\n

Sahibzada Farhan received a warning after mimicking a gunshot. Sanctions were imposed by ICC match referee Richie Richardson after formal complaints from both boards.<\/p>\n

War backdrop<\/p>\n

The tension followed a brief but fierce conflict between the two countries. In April, the Pahalgam terror attack killed 26 Indian tourists. Delhi blamed Islamabad without presenting evidence and launched \u201cOperation Sindoor\u201d with missile strikes inside Pakistan.<\/p>\n

Pakistan retaliated with attacks on Indian military facilities. The fighting lasted four days and left more than 70 dead before a ceasefire took hold.<\/p>\n

Read more: Pakistan secure Asia Cup final spot against India with 11-run win over Bangladesh<\/p>\n

When the Asia Cup began months later, political tensions carried into the field.<\/p>\n

Indian captain Yadav openly linked the refusal to shake hands with the memory of Pahalgam\u2019s victims, saying: \u201cA few things in life are above sportsmanship. We stand with all the victims\u2026 and dedicate this win to our brave armed forces.\u201d<\/p>\n

India\u2019s diplomatic push <\/p>\n

Tharoor\u2019s comments carry weight because he was also central to India\u2019s diplomatic campaign after the war. He led a ten-member all-party delegation to Washington to brief US officials on the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor. The delegation\u2019s agenda was to secure international support for India\u2019s stance that Pakistan-backed militants orchestrated the attack.<\/p>\n

Also read: Pakistan did not request ceasefire, says FM Dar<\/p>\n

Parallel delegations fanned out to other regions: Salman Khurshid to East Asia, Supriya Sule to Europe, Kanimozhi to Russia, Ghulam Nabi Azad to the UK and EU, and RS Prasad to West Asia.<\/p>\n

Each group was tasked with lobbying foreign governments and explaining India\u2019s post-war position.<\/p>\n

Spirit of the game, lost in politics <\/p>\n

The absence of a handshake soon overshadowed the cricket itself. Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi said Indian players were \u201cjust following orders from above,\u201d while Shoaib Akhtar urged politics to be kept out of the game. Ex-umpire Anil Chaudhary dismissed Pakistan\u2019s outrage as \u201cunnecessary drama\u201d.<\/p>\n

Younis Khan, Pakistan\u2019s record Test run-scorer, called on his team to \u201cwin the final and then offer a handshake to Indian players\u201d, while also accusing India of damaging the \u201cgentleman\u2019s game\u201d.<\/p>\n

Younis Khan said, “Indian players not shaking hands is against sportsmanship. But they are following their government’s instructions. Still, even if they don’t, Pakistan should win and extend your hand”. pic.twitter.com\/zyb8Mvy142
\n\u2014 Salman. (@TsMeSalman) September 25, 2025<\/p>\n

Traditionally, captains shake hands at the toss and players at the end of a match. Though not mandated in ICC rules, it remains a powerful symbol of respect. India\u2019s decision to abandon the gesture has turned it into a statement of defiance for India, an insult for Pakistan and a reminder of how politics can consume sport.<\/p>\n

Stalemate continues<\/p>\n

Cricketing ties between Pakistan and India have been frozen since 2012, with bilateral series suspended. Even in multi-national tournaments, the smallest gestures now carry heavy political meaning.<\/p>\n

With the Asia Cup final set for Sunday, all eyes are on the ritual handshake rather than the scoreboard.<\/p>\n

Why would the handshake happen now? That’ll be a different match, different occasion. This moment passed<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has criticised the Indian cricket team for refusing to shake hands with Pakistani players during recent Asia Cup matches, calling it a breach of cricket\u2019s spirit. \u201cOnce the decision was made so strongly by Pakistan, we should have played in the spirit of the game and we should have shaken hands, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-english-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20825","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20825"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20825\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}