Shoaib Akhtar Flogs Suryakumar Yadav, Asks India Not To Play vs Pakistan Until..

Shoaib Akhtar (L), Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha (C), and Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav (R) (Source: AFP)

After a lot of assumptions and discussions in the cricketing fraternity, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav continued with his call of not shaking hands with his Pakistani counterpart Salman Ali Agha at the time of the toss before the India vs Pakistan game in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. 

It all happened when Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha won the toss and decided to field. Following that, when the ICC broadcaster Mpumelelo Mbangwa asked Suryakumar Yadav to step up for a chat, the latter visibly ignored the Pakistan captain, avoiding the handshake. 

SKY’s stance of not shaking hands with Salman Ali Agha didn’t sit well with the former legendary Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar. The former speedster lashed out at Suryakumar Yadav without taking his name, while speaking in a show on ABP News.

“What other countries will think” - Shoiab Akhtar on Suryakumar Yadav’s no-handshake decision

Shoaib Akhtar referred to the times when Indian and Pakistani players used to meet and greet during his active days in international cricket. 

“I went to watch Virat Kohli’s U19 game. I praised Rohit Sharma and the other guys. I visited the India U19 team and met them. If there’s nothing above the country, then don’t play,” said Akhtar to the show’s host, reminding her of the relations between the Indian and Pakistani players during his playing days.

“You come and don’t shake hands, what other countries will think, they will surely think, ‘what kind of nations these two (India and Pakistan) are?” He added later, targeting Indian skipper Suryakumar for his ‘no-handshake’ move. 

Furthermore, the veteran of 46 Tests, 163 ODIs, and 15 T20Is for Pakistan also pointed to former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif, who was also a panellist on the same show. Shoaib Akhtar used his and Kaif’s reference as a ‘sportsman spirit’ lesson for the current Indian skipper, Suryakumar Yadav. 

“How should I not shake hands with [Mohammad] Kaif, why should I misbehave with him on live tv, no matter what he says or does,” Shoaib Akhtar said. 

“This is not fair, if you don’t want to play, then don’t play. If you can’t bear with each other, then don’t play with each other, let it go. If you want to put the country first, then forget the money from cricket,” Shoaib Akhtar asserted. 

Here’s a look at entire timeline of India vs Pakistan ‘no-handshake’ controversy

Speaking of the long-standing ‘no-handshake’ controversy between India and Pakistan, it started in the Asia Cup 2025. Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav left everyone in shock on September 14, avoiding a pre-toss handshake with Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha. 

Notably, it was the first of three India vs Pakistan clashes that sparked the handshake controversy. SKY stood firm in his decision to avoid shaking hands in the remaining two games against Pakistan. 

It left the Indian and Pakistani fans divided in the debate of ‘sportsman spirit’ and ‘country first’ policies of both India and Pakistan. The controversy went so far that the Indian team refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy from PCB and ACC chief Mohsin Naqvi. 

In the aftermath of these controversial turnarounds, Mohsin Naqvi fueled it further by taking away the trophy with him after the conclusion of the Asia Cup final’s post-match ceremony.