Throughout the toss proceedings, the duo avoided each other's gaze.
India skipper Suryakumar Yadav and his Pakistani counterpart Salman Ali Agha once again refrained from engaging in the customary tradition of shaking hands before the toss during the Super 4s clash at the Asia Cup in Dubai on Sunday.
Throughout the toss proceedings, the duo avoided each other's gaze.
After Suryakumar won the toss and explained why he decided to field first, he turned away and walked back to the dugout.
"We'll bowl first. Looks a nice track and yesterday there was dew. Since first round we were thinking we're playing a knockout tournament, nothing changes. That was a completely different wicket (in Abu Dhabi). Quite normal, just another game. Bumrah and Varun come back for Arshdeep and Harshit," he said.
This is the second time in a row that the two captains refused to shake hands at the toss.
Also, after India chased down the paltry 128-run target in the group-stage encounter last Sunday, the Indian skipper returned straightaway to the dressing room with his partner Shivam Dube.
During the post-match presentation, Agha was nowhere to be seen, a move that raised questions.
After the conclusion of the contest, Suryakumar explained the team's stance to refuse a handshake with Pakistan and said, "I feel a few things in life are ahead of sportsman spirit. I have told it at the presentation as well. We stand with all the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack."
"We stand with their families also and express our solidarity. As I said, we dedicate this win to our brave armed forces who took part in Operation Sindoor. As they continue to inspire us all, we will try our best to, whenever given the opportunity, inspire them as well if possible," he added.
India's stance was linked to the strained relations between the two nations in the wake of the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, during which 26 tourists were killed on April 22 by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) held match referee Andy Pycroft accountable for the fiasco and asked for his immediate removal. However, to Pakistan's angst, the International Cricket Council didn't entertain the plea.
In reply, Pakistan threatened to boycott their must-win fixture against the UAE and cancelled the pre-match press conference as well. Pakistan players arrived late at the Dubai International Stadium, forcing the game to be delayed by one hour.
Pakistan management met Pycroft before the toss and then shared a muted video of the meeting, which caused an uproar.
Pakistan cancelled the pre-match presser on Saturday before the Super 4 clash against India.
Despite all the ruckus, Pycroft continued to be the match referee on Sunday as well.
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