By Shaurya Dutt
Noida (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 15 : Former cricketer Madan Lal expressed his thoughts on Indian players refusing to shake hands with the Pakistan team after the Asia Cup 2025 clash between the two sides on Sunday, saying "terrorism" and "sports" can't be together.
Before the first ball of the rivalry fixture was bowled, India skipper Suryakumar Yadav and Salman turned heads by not engaging in the traditional handshake after the toss. During the toss, neither skipper maintained eye contact nor tried to initiate a handshake and eschewed the gesture.
India's stance was linked to the strained relations between the two nations in the wake of the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, during which 26 tourists were killed on April 22 by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists.
After India gunned down the paltry 128-run target with Suryakumar uncorking a towering maximum into the stands, the Indian skipper returned straightaway to the dressing room with his partner Shivam Dube.
Speaking on the incident, Madan Lal told ANI, "It is their call. The reason they mentioned for not shaking hands was that we are standing by the Pahalgam victims. I think terrorism and sports cannot go together. But at the end of the day, it's a game, and you played and won. That is the best reply you gave."
India's dominant all-round performance left Pakistan stunned as the Men in Blue cruised to a comfortable seven-wicket win in Dubai, in the ongoing T20 competition.
Sharing his thoughts on India's victory, the 74-year-old said, "Congratulations to everyone. We won really well...We are a better side, our team played well...This wasn't Pakistan's match at all. They do not have much merit...Their batting had no class. The shots they played, their approach to the game makes it look like Pakistan is a very weak side."
Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav dedicated the easy win over arch-rivals Pakistan to the Pahalgam victims and the Indian armed forces for their bravery.
Expressing his thoughts on Suryakumar's decision, the former cricketer said, " You are playing on a world stage. So, these things get decided beforehand. He expressed the same and dedicated the victory to the Pahalgam victims."