Former Indian cricketer Atul Wassan has a clear message for Pakistan ahead of their high-stakes India vs Pakistan clash in the Asia Cup Super Four stage: Save the drama for the field and bring some real competition.
The two teams face off on Sunday in a match that could shape their tournament hopes. Every win counts against Asia’s top sides like India, Pakistan, and others in this Super Four showdown. But the buildup has been overshadowed by off-field tensions from their last encounter—a controversial India victory that sparked a major handshake row.
In that first Asia Cup game, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav and player Shivam Dube left the field without shaking hands with the Pakistani team. Yadav dedicated the win to India’s armed forces and expressed support for victims of the Pahalgam terror attack. Pakistan’s captain Salman Agha skipped the post-match presentation, sending coach Mike Hesson instead. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) then fired off a complaint against match referee Andy Pycroft, accusing him of breaking ICC Code of Conduct rules and the spirit of cricket.
Things escalated quickly. Pakistan canceled a pre-match press conference before their next game against the UAE. On match day, the team stayed holed up in their hotel, even threatening to quit the Asia Cup if Pycroft wasn’t removed. The game started an hour late after a meeting between Pycroft and Pakistan’s leadership. Pakistan went on to win and advance to the Super Four. Now, ahead of this India rematch, they’ve canceled another presser.
Later reports from ESPNcricinfo revealed Pycroft only learned about the no-handshake decision four minutes before the toss—from the Asian Cricket Council venue manager. He was just the messenger, not the decision-maker. After his meeting with Pakistan, the PCB claimed Pycroft apologized, but the ICC wasn’t happy and considered issuing a clarification. The PCB even released a muted video of the meeting, despite earlier concerns about recording it.
Speaking to before the big game, Wassan said the focus has shifted too much from cricket to these side issues. “India vs Pakistan isn’t just a match—it’s always intense,” he noted. But he added that India has moved on from hyping up Pakistan. “We’ve progressed so much—financially strong, dominating the sport, with a solid team and ecosystem. We’re confident now.”
Wassan pointed out Pakistan’s fear of losing seems to drive their reactions. “In India, fans see it as just a game now. But this time, with the tensions, we debated if the match should even happen. Once it did, we showed our stance. Watching Pakistan’s response was almost funny—they shot the messenger instead of the message. They humiliated themselves.”
He acknowledged the no-handshake move but stressed diplomacy in global tournaments. “You can’t ignore them completely—we have to engage where it matters, like in cricket events.” Wassan critiqued Yadav’s press conference comments on the Pahalgam attacks, saying they might violate ICC rules against politicizing the game. “You could’ve just said we weren’t happy and played for our country. No one forces respect.”
Wassan believes skipping the terror attack mention would’ve put India on stronger moral ground. “That’s the only angle Pakistan could’ve complained about. Instead, they locked themselves in, then backed down after calculating the fallout. They claim Pycroft apologized when he didn’t. Stand by your decisions—don’t keep insulting yourselves like this.”
On the upcoming match, Wassan wants Pakistan to channel that energy into play. “Show your anger on the field with some competition. I’m not enjoying one-sided wins. If they step up, it’ll be a real contest. Otherwise, we’d rather face Zimbabwe or Bangladesh. Walk the talk out there—that’s when I’ll respect it.”
India Squad: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Sanju Samson (w), Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Jitesh Sharma, Rinku Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Pakistan Squad: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Mohammad Haris (w), Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha (c), Khushdil Shah, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed, Hussain Talat, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Salman Mirza, Sufiyan Muqeem.
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