India snubs captains’ trophy shoot ahead of India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2025 final
With the Men in Blue not indulging their arch-rivals even in customary handshakes, the chances of the captains standing next to each other appear slim. For the first time in the history of the Asia Cup, the sub-continental tournament will host an India vs Pakistan final. However, unlike every other multi-national tournament, the Asia Cup 2025 edition will not hold the traditional captains' trophy photoshoot with the finalists. Latest reports ahead of the India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2025 final have revealed that the photoshoot has been scrapped entirely after India refused to interact with Pakistan.
No interaction between Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Ali Agha as India denies trophy photoshoot ahead of Asia Cup 2025 final
As per reports, there will be no captains’ photoshoot ahead of the India vs Pakistan marquee clash in Dubai. 🏏
— OneTurf News (@oneturf_news) September 27, 2025
📸: ACC/X#oneturfnews #asiacup2025 #indvpak #teamindia #pakistan #suryakumaryadav #cricket pic.twitter.com/UPA8KtVC07
The tension between arch-rivals has been boiling right from the start of the season. The group-stage India vs Pakistan fixture witnessed the Men in Blue refusing to engage in handshakes with the opponents. The handshake row snowballed into a dramatic controversy with the Pakistan Cricket Board dragging Andy Pycroft into the mix, demanding the removal of the match referee from the tournament.
Their next meet-up, the India vs Pakistan Super 4 clash, took the heat up several degrees with the Men in Green showcasing classless antics. While India thrashed the opponents in both the face-offs, Pakistan's on-field action did not look affected by their sub-par performances. Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf instigated the young Indian openers, Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma, leading to a fiery verbal spat. Furthermore, Rauf resorted to mimicking a plane crash, referencing the false narrative of his nation shooting down Indian fighter jets during Operation Sindoor.
The match, furthermore, involved Sahibzada Farhan breaking into a 'gun celebration' after reaching his half-century. Both teams have made their stance clear on each other, though in different ways. Thus, the scope of Suryakumar Yadav coming out to pose with Salman Ali Agha for the trophy shoot ahead of the India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2025 final was never on the cards. The anticipated has reportedly turned true with the Indian side denying attendance at the shoot.
Suryakumar Yadav was warned by the ICC after he talked about the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor following the group-stage fixture. Meanwhile, Haris Rauf was fined 30% of his match fees for his offensive actions during the Super 4 clash. Sahibzada Farhan was also reprimanded by the apex council for his gun celebration. However, unlike the previous instances, it's unlikely for the ICC to take action against India for boycotting the trophy photoshoot.
Much like the tradition of handshakes between the opponents following the match, appearing for the trophy photoshoot is also more of a custom instead of a rule in the ICC's book. With no regulation making the photoshoot mandatory, India is unlikely to pick the ICC's ire for their move ahead of the Asia Cup 2025 final. Meanwhile, it remains to be seen if the Men in Blue accept the Asia Cup 2025 from the hands of Mohsin Naqvi, the ACC and PCB chair, when and if they manage to beat Pakistan for the third time in the ongoing edition.
