A Pakistani fan has requested Team India to boycott the next match to enable them to reach the Asia Cup 2025 final. The request from the fan came after Pakistan's insipid performance against the Men in Blue in the group-stage game at the Dubai International Stadium on September 14, Sunday.
India outplayed their arch-rivals across facets on Sunday, picking up a dominant seven-wicket victory in their pursuit of a successful title defence. The Men in Blue first restricted Pakistan to 127/9 in 20 overs and later chased down the target only in 15.5 overs, making it two victories in as many matches in the multi-nation tournament. Kuldeep Yadav, who bagged outstanding figures of 4-0-18-3, bagged the Player of the Match award.
In a media interaction after the match, the fan suggested that only India boycotting the game will make path to the final easier for Pakistan.
"As a Pakistani fan, I request you India, please boycott the next match because we want to qualify for the finals. Please boycott next match, so we can get two points."
Team India refuses to shake hands with Pakistan players
Meanwhile, tensions boiled over after the match as the Indian team refused to shake hands with their Pakistani counterpart following the win. As a result, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha did not do the post-game presentation duties.
Hence, fans can expect heightened tensions should the two teams meet again in the multi-nation tournament.
At the post-game press conference, Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson said it was a disappointing gesture from the Indian side and that his players were willing to shake hands. Hesson stated, as quoted by India Today:
"We were ready to shake hands at the end of the game. We were disappointed that our opposition didn’t do that. We had gone towards them to shake hands but they had already gone back to the dressing room. It was a disappointing way for the match to finish. We were disappointed with the way we played but certainly we were willing to go and shake hands."
For Pakistan to qualify for Super 4, they must beat UAE in their next game on September 17, Wednesday.
