Asia Cup 2025: ‘One should focus on playing cricket’ – Kapil Dev slams Pakistan over handshake-Pycroft row

The handshake dispute during India’s seven-wicket win over Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 drew a lot of attention. Following this, former India captain Kapil Dev chastised Pakistan’s players and board for causing unnecessary controversy, advising them to concentrate on cricket rather than politicising a trivial incident.

The controversy started on September 14 in Dubai, when Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube walked off the field without engaging in the customary post-match handshake with the Pakistani players. Suryakumar dedicated the victory to India’s armed services and paid honour to the victims of the Pahalgam terror incident.

Pakistan protested when captain Salman Ali Agha cancelled the post-match presentation, and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) accused match referee Andy Pycroft of causing uncertainty by allegedly telling captains not to shake hands after the toss.

The PCB took the issue to the ICC, requesting Pycroft’s ouster and even threatening to pull out of the event. The ICC refused both appeals, forcing Pakistan to postpone their next game against the UAE by confining players to their hotel until participation was cleared. Dev was frustrated by the debate, calling it a needless distraction.

“There are all small things. One should focus on playing cricket. If someone does not want to shake hands, there is no need to make a big issue out of it for both sides. It is not right to give wrong statements, but some cricketers give statements that become controversial. Pakistan did not play good cricket; they need to work on it. It is one’s personal choice whether they want to shake hands or hug,” he said as quoted by NDTV.