The Indian players' refusal to exchange handshakes with the Pakistan team after an Asia Cup clash led to a major controversy on Monday with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) seeking the removal of match referee Andy Pycroft, holding him responsible for the fiasco.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav has, however, justified his team's stand, which came after the team drew severe backlash for playing against Pakistan.
The PCB reacted angrily to the turn of events and after complaining to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), it has now sought the ICC's intervention. Incidentally, PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi is the current head of the ACC, while the ICC is headed by India's Jay Shah. The Asia Cup, however, is not an ICC event, but is managed by the ACC.
Also read: Refused handshake, Pak lodges protest with ACC
"The PCB has lodged a complaint with the ICC regarding violations by the match referee of the ICC Code of Conduct and the MCC Laws pertaining to the Spirit of Cricket. The PCB has demanded an immediate removal of the match referee from the Asia Cup," Naqvi said on X.
The PCB had earlier stated that Pycroft had asked Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha at the time of the toss not to shake hands with the Indian team. Pakistan team manager Naved Cheema has also filed a complaint with the ACC, alleging that it was on Pycroft's insistence that team sheets weren't exchanged between the two skippers, as is the norm.
The BCCI is yet to respond to the PCB's statements, but it is reliably learnt that if India make it to the tournament's final on September 28, the players won't be sharing the presentation dais with Naqvi, who is expected to hand over the winner's trophy as ACC head. Both teams had avoided each other even during the customary warm-up.
India's stand, which will be discussed and debated for some time to come, was in stark contrast to the apolitical position that players tend to maintain when it comes to Pakistan.
When a Pakistani journalist asked whether the refusal to shake hands with opposition players after the seven-wicket win was "politically motivated", Yadav said, “A few things in life are ahead of sportsman's spirit.” The sentiment was echoed by head coach Gautam Gambhir while talking to the tournament broadcaster.
It is learnt that the BCCI and the team management got into a huddle to discuss their stance as opposition parties in India as well as the social media erupted in protest against the match, calling it a case of putting money above the sentiments of families devastated by the Pahalgam terror attack. Gambhir and senior players were unanimous about not shaking hands at any given time during the match.
Gambhir's personal stand on playing Pakistan is quite clear: "No sporting ties till terror activities continue on Indian soil". "Look, if you read the rule book, there is no specification about shaking hands with the opposition. It is a goodwill gesture and a sort of convention, not a law that is followed globally across the sporting spectrum," a senior BCCI official said. “If there is no law, the Indian cricket team is not bound to shake hands with an opposition with whom there is a history of strained relations," he said.
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