Kapil Dev, former India captain, spoke about the recent T20 Asia Cup match where Indian players didn’t shake hands with the Pakistani team. He said the main thing is to play the match, not to overreact to small things. Dev said whether someone wants to shake hands or hug is up to them.
After the match, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube walked off the field without shaking hands with the Pakistan team. Yadav also dedicated the win to the armed forces and supported the victims of Pahalgam attacks during the Asia Cup match against Pakistan on Sunday.
This match added another chapter to the long-standing India-Pakistan rivalry. It was the first time the two teams played each other since the Pahalgam terror attacks in India in April which led to the Indian Armed Forces launching Operation Sindoor against terror sponsored by Pakistan.
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Talking to ANI, Kapil Dev said don’t blow small things out of proportion and just concentrate on playing cricket. He said making a big deal out of whether someone wants to shake hands or not isn’t right. He also said some cricketers make statements which are controversial. Dev felt Pakistan didn’t play well and need to get better. He reiterated that it’s a personal decision whether someone wants to shake hands or give a hug.
India was criticized for playing the match at all but still managed to hold Pakistan to 127/9. Suryakumar Yadav and Abhishek Sharma batted well and helped India win by 7 wickets.
Kapil Dev praised the Indian team saying they have been playing well for last two decades and is confident India will win the Asia Cup. He said the team does very well in ICC tournaments and Indian cricket is well organized.
India had a great start to their Asia Cup campaign, winning both their group stage matches against UAE and Pakistan. They won comfortably, beating UAE by 9 wickets and Pakistan by 7 wickets, in both cases batting second.
India’s next match is against Oman on Friday.
