Opposition Targets Indian Cricket Team Over Surya Yadav’s Handshake With Pakistan Minister

New Delhi: India’s Asia Cup 2025 triumph over Pakistan has been celebrated nationwide, but the victory has also sparked political debate, with opposition leaders accusing the national team of double standards.

Shiv Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut criticized India captain Suryakumar Yadav, highlighting a video showing Yadav greeting and posing for a picture with Pakistan minister Mohsin Naqvi before the tournament. Raut posted on X in Hindi: “At the start of the series, 15 days ago, he shook hands and clicked photos with Pakistan’s minister. Now they are showing the country a drama of patriotism. If nationalism truly flowed in their blood, they should not have stepped onto the field against Pakistan.”

A day before the final, Raut had voiced objections to India playing against Pakistan, citing terrorism concerns and historical attacks: “This is not the biggest match. It is very bad for India and Pakistan to play in such an environment. When citizens do not want connections with Pakistan, why play cricket? Nationalism is missing when money takes over. Even if rivers of blood flow, we will play cricket. But this time, people don’t even want to watch the match on TV.”

Senior AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj also weighed in, accusing the team of propaganda, sharing the same video of Yadav with Naqvi and writing: “At the start of the series, he shook hands and clicked photos with Pakistan’s minister. But once there was opposition to the match in India, players were given a new script to run propaganda at home.”

Despite the criticism, Team India’s on-field performance was remarkable. At the Dubai International Stadium, Pakistan, who had reached 113/1 in the 13th over, collapsed to 146 all out in 19.1 overs, thanks to a brilliant spin attack led by Kuldeep Yadav, triggering a stunning nine-wicket slide for just 33 runs. India chased down the target of 147 with five wickets in hand, securing their ninth Asia Cup title.

The win sparked nationwide celebrations, with fans lighting fireworks and chanting slogans across cities and towns. Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the team on X, writing: “Operation Sindoor on the games field. Outcome is the same — India wins! Congrats to our cricketers.”