The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) acting president, Rajeev Shukla, was reportedly present in Dubai during the Asia Cup 2025 clash between India and Pakistan on Sunday, September 14, but he avoided attending the match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
India’s seven-wicket win over Pakistan in their Group A Asia Cup 2025 match should have been a moment of celebration, but it has stirred up fresh controversy and anger among fans. Almost the entire country is furious that India even played against Pakistan.
They felt the India-Pakistan match should never have taken place due to the ongoing tension between the two countries due to the Pahalgam attack earlier this year.
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However, India’s dominant win over Pakistan and their “no handshake” act must have somehow cheered the fans up a bit, but it only made things worse, raising questions over sportsmanship and fairness.
The backlash was so intense that Rajeev Shukla, who is also in Dubai for the ongoing Asia Cup 2025, deliberately avoided going into the Dubai International Cricket Stadium to cheer for the Men in Blue. The BCCI vice-president feared facing angry fans and chose to stay away to prevent further criticism.
Rajeev Shukla avoids India vs Pakistan clash despite being in Dubai!!
As reported by CricBlogger, the BCCI officials had decided mutually to boycott the India vs Pakistan match, and that’s why none of them were seen in the stands during the high-voltage Asia Cup 2025 clash in Dubai. A top source revealed, “Shukla was in Dubai, but the fear of backlash was huge, and no one wanted to risk it.”
It was quite a surprising decision, as Rajeev Shukla had led a high-profile BCCI delegation to Lahore in an attempt to improve the cricketing ties between India and Pakistan. But this time, political tensions and fan sentiments forced them to distance themselves from the high-voltage game.
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The incident has exposed how much the rivalry has changed, as the excitement and the celebrity presence in the stadium have faded. With Pakistan’s performance on the field falling short and controversy overshadowing the game, the allure of the “mother of all battles” is quickly fading.
BCCI defends India after snubbing handshake with Pakistan
Meanwhile, the Asia Cup 2025 controversy took an ugly turn after India’s 7-wicket win over Pakistan when the Indian players walked off without shaking hands with their opponents. Many criticized the act, but the BCCI has defended the team’s decision.
A senior official clarified that shaking hands is not a rule but a goodwill gesture followed by convention in sports. He stressed that there is no law forcing players to exchange pleasantries, and with the strained political relationship between India and Pakistan, the Indian cricket team is not obligated to follow this tradition.
The BCCI official also emphasized that players should not be expected to interact with opponents when tensions are high between the two countries, which raised questions over the sportsmanship. Notably, India will play their final group match against Oman on September 19.
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