Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf 'disrespect' India's national anthem at Asia Cup Final

NEW DELHI: Another storm brewed at the Asia Cup 2025 final between India and Pakistan on Sunday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, as Pakistan pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf found themselves at the centre of a fresh controversy.

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Moments before the blockbuster clash got underway, both teams lined up for the national anthems. Pakistan’s anthem played first, followed by India’s. While players from both sides stood in attention as per protocol, cameras captured Shaheen and Haris casually chatting during India’s national anthem — a gesture that quickly went viral and was widely slammed as “disrespectful.”


Live Score: India vs Pakistan Asia Cup Final

The incident has only fuelled tensions in what was already a high-voltage summit clash. It came on the heels of another flashpoint: India skipper Suryakumar Yadav sticking to the “No Handshake” policy against Pakistan.

At the toss, Suryakumar shook hands with broadcaster Ravi Shastri but pointedly ignored former Pakistan captain Waqar Younis. Just like in the group stage and Super Four encounters earlier in the tournament, he also skipped the customary handshake with Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha.

Adding further intrigue, the toss itself was conducted in an unusual manner, with Shastri interviewing the Indian captain and Waqar handling Pakistan’s leader — a rare arrangement in world cricket.

To make things worse, the Pakistan skipper also claimed that Suryakumar had shaken hands with him not once, but twice in private before the handshake snubs started on-camera.

For India, the evening also began with a massive setback as skipper Suryakumar confirmed at the toss that star all-rounder Hardik Pandya was ruled out due to a niggle. The absence of Pandya, who has a proven record in big matches against Pakistan, leaves a significant void in India’s line-up.

With controversies over handshakes, anthem etiquette, and team selection overshadowing the pre-match proceedings, the stage was set for an emotionally charged finale.

In the end, it was India that came out on top after a tense affair in Dubai. After Pakistan were skittled out for a 146-run total, India too, had to overcome early challenges. After being reduced to 20/3 inside the powerplay, the Suryakumar-led side rode on the back of a sensational batting display from Tilak Varma (69* from 53 balls) and a solid partnership with Shivam Dube (33 from 22 balls) to clinch the trophy. In the end, it was Rinku Singh, who faced his first-ever ball of this tournament, who scored the winning runs with a four in the fourth delivery of the final over.

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