22 Sep 2025 : The India–Pakistan handshake storm took a fresh turn on Sunday, refusing to die down even a week after the Dubai flashpoint. This time, it wasn’t the players or an ICC-appointed match official, but India head coach Gautam Gambhir at the centre of it. After India beat Pakistan in the Super Four clash at the same Dubai International Stadium, Gambhir delivered a surprising directive, asking Suryakumar Yadav and his men to greet only the umpires after the game, pointedly leaving Pakistan out.
Earlier at the toss, Suryakumar had avoided shaking hands with Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha, heading directly to presenter Ravi Shastri for a chat before greeting match referee Andy Pycroft.
There were no handshakes even at the end of the game. Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya, who took India past the finish line with seven balls to spare, walked straight to the dressing room, skipping the customary post-game handshake with Pakistan.
In a major twist, Gambhir was then spotted asking Indian players to walk out and greet the match officials. They then headed straight onto the ground and walked toward the Pakistani players, only to shake hands with the umpires before returning to the dressing room, leaving the opposition baffled.
Gambhir later took to Instagram to share a visual of Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill and the rest of the Indian players, and used one word to caption the post: “Fearless.”
The opening pair of Gill (47) and Abhishek (74) set the tone in India’s chase of 172 by embracing an unflinching attitude and gallantly overwhelming Pakistan’s toothless bowling attack. They stitched a 105-run stand in just 59 balls to take the pressure off the middle order.
Having extended their supremacy over Pakistan yet again, India will next take on Bangladesh at the same venue on Wednesday, while the Salman-led side will face Sri Lanka on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi. If India can beat Bangladesh in their next game, they could all but guarantee their spot in the final, while Pakistan will be battling for survival in their next game.
Earlier in the Super Four, Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka by four wickets in Dubai on Saturday.
The top two teams from Super Four will play the final in Dubai on September 28.
Summary : Gautam Gambhir addressed the Asia Cup handshake controversy, clarifying that Indian players were instructed to greet only umpires, not Pakistan cricketers, leaving the opposition visibly surprised.