'Some Things Are Beyond Sportsmanship': Suryakumar Yadav Defends 'No Handshake' Stance

India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav dedicated his team’s Asia Cup league stage win against arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday, September 14, in Dubai, to the country’s armed forces, adding that certain things are beyond sportsmanship, defending his team’s decision not to shake hands with the Pakistan players.

India’s seven-wicket victory over Pakistan ended on a tense note as the cricketers skipped the customary handshake, a move taken with backing from a key support staff member and approval from BCCI.

The game went ahead despite boycott calls, after heightened geopolitical tensions following the Pahalgam terror attack in April and India’s subsequent ‘Operation Sindoor’ targeting terrorist bases across the border in May.

“We took a team call. We had

come only to play. We had given them a reply. Some things are beyond sportsmanship. We dedicate this victory to our armed forces who took part in ‘Operation Sindoor’ and stand with families of the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack,” Suryakumar said while speaking at the post-match press conference.

“We are aligned with our government and the BCCI,” Suryakumar added.

Despite boycott calls from some quarters in protest of the April Pahalgam terror attack, a near-capacity crowd, 85 per cent of them Indian fans, watched as Pakistan was dismantled.

Adding to the tension, Indian cricketers chose not to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts, neither at the toss nor after the game, even as the Pakistani side waited in line moments after Suryakumar sealed the victory over them with a six.

Spinners Axar Patel (2/18 in 4 overs), Kuldeep Yadav (3/18 in 4 overs) and Varun Chakravarthy (1/24 in 4 overs) were immaculate in terms of line and length as none of the Pakistan batters showed the wherewithal to play the troika from their hands.

The result was a lowly 127/9 from Pakistan, which was at least 50 runs below the par score.