Asia Cup Final Tradition Broken: Team India refuses joint photoshoot with Pakistan captain

Not only in the first match, but the tense atmosphere between India and Pakistan persisted throughout the Super-4 round as well. No conversation, no greetings, both teams maintained a complete professional distance.

New Delhi: The final match of the Asia Cup 2025 is scheduled to be played between India and Pakistan in Dubai on 28 September. This is the first time in Asia Cup history that the Indian and Pakistani teams will face each other in the title match. The ongoing tension between the two countries ahead of this historic match is now clearly visible off the field. A tradition of the tournament has been broken this time, attracting everyone's attention.

No trophy photoshoot before the final

As usual, an official photoshoot with the trophy between the captains of both teams was scheduled before the final. However, the Indian team refused to participate in this tradition. Team India clearly stated that their captain, Suryakumar Yadav, will not engage in any public activity with Pakistani captain Salman Agha.

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Impact of Political and Diplomatic Tensions

The recent terrorist attack between India and Pakistan and the subsequent tense atmosphere have had a profound impact on cricketing relations between the two countries. Since the beginning of the tournament, the Indian team has maintained a distance from any informal or formal contact with Pakistan. This is why Suryakumar Yadav did not even shake hands with Salman Agha during the toss in the first match. Even after the match, players from both teams did not meet, which is generally considered part of sportsmanship.

Tension Appeared in Super-4 match

Not only in the first match, but the tense atmosphere between India and Pakistan persisted throughout the Super-4 round as well. No conversation, no greetings, both teams maintained a complete professional distance. This same approach has now been adopted before the final match as well.

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A long-standing tradition broken

Traditions like the trophy photoshoot are held by tournament organizers to showcase sporting harmony, but this time, that was not seen. The organizers certainly tried to make the match historic and memorable, but the Indian team's tenacity thwarted these efforts.

What's Next?

All eyes are now on this highly anticipated match in Dubai on 28 September. While the match on the field may be extremely exciting, the soured relationship between the two countries off the field has cast a very different shadow over this match.