The third edition of the T20 Asia Cup will get underway today with the match between Hong Kong and Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi. Ahead of the tournament opener, a customary press conference took place in Dubai which was attended by all captains, and in the event, many have reported that the India and Pakistan skippers, Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Ali Agha, avoided shaking hands after the event.
The video of the same is going viral as the Pakistan captain walked off, even as Surya shook hands with other captains after the press conference ended. Even in the seating arrangements, Rashid Khan, the Afghanistan captain, sat between Surya and Salman, even as both of them addressed the questions regarding the much-awaited clash on Sunday (September 14).
Watch the video here:
However, Surya and Salman were later spotted shaking hands according to a video tweeted by the handle '@Aspirant9457' and the name Sawai96.
Here's the video of both captains shaking hands
All eyes on India vs Pakistan match on Sunday
All the focus is on the marquee clash between India and Pakistan in the Asia Cup this year as the match is being played for the first time since border tensions escalated earlier this year after the barbaric attack on tourists in Pahalgam. India launched Operation Sindoor within a few days after the attack, destroying several terrorist camps in Pakistan.
There were calls within India, among fans and former cricketers, for the team to boycott the match against Pakistan. However, the Indian government made its stance clear last month in this aspect, stating that the bilateral meetings with Pakistan are not allowed while Indian teams across different sports are permitted to play against them in multilateral events like Asia Cup and World Cup.
"In so far as bilateral sports events in each other's country are concerned, Indian teams will not be participating in competitions in Pakistan. Nor will we permit Pakistani teams to play in India. With regard to international and multilateral events, in India or abroad, we are guided by the practices of international sports bodies and the interest of our own sportspersons. It is also relevant to take into account India's emergence as a credible venue to host international sports events.
"Accordingly, Indian teams and individual players will take part in international events that also have teams or players from Pakistan. Similarly, Pakistani players and teams will be able to participate in such multilateral events hosted by India," the statement from Ministry read.
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